The Curious Demigod's Life
by angelslaugh
Summary: "To love Primus is to love the Primes, but I do not love you, Sentinel Prime." Jayla has been reassigned to keep her brother Sam safe. Add that along with military duties, having dates with an alien leader, finding her sisters, and saving the world from an evil Prime; well, Jayla will have to rely on more than her own firepower to save the world. 3rd in the Prime Princess Series.
1. Chapter 1

"Miss Witwicky," the new director, Director Mearing, said sharply, her heels clicking against the ground, "I heard a rumor that one of my best soldiers is leaving?"

Jayla Witwicky, the young woman in question, looked confused. "Director?" she questioned.

Mearing gestured for the bag lady (the lady with all of the bags) to push Jayla into her office.

Mearing, once the door had shut and the lady had left, the bags in front of Jayla, sighed a little bit. She sat back in her chair and stared at Jayla.

Jayla, being an ADHD demigod child, started fidgeting.

Finally, Mearing spoke.

"I've heard a lot about you, Miss Witwicky. Perhaps, if you ever want a job in Covert or even Black Ops, we can get it for you." Noticing Jayla's shock, she said, "I have a few favors in with the CIA still. I've heard you were being…reassigned?"

Jayla's sour mood came back, and it manifested in a scowl over the young woman's face.

"If 'reassigned' is what 'getting dumped onto your little brother so he can have better protection' is," Jayla grumbled. "As much as I think I'd like Black Ops, I have to do this assignment first. I won't skip."

Mearing gazed at the young woman across from her.

Mearing had heard a lot: How she'd almost died after the Mission City fiasco, then how she was recuperating over the Egypt fiasco, though she hadn't been at Egypt. According to Naomi Anikor, Jayla had been nowhere near there. And she'd apparently been on a ship and was still recovering from all of her injuries.

"Miss Witwicky, I understand the need to protect family. However, afterwards, as I'm certain this assignment won't be too boring. If there is need, the military will get you a house in the DC area. Maybe even a job. However, you are the only one among the ENTIRE NEST operation that I'm offering a chance to be better than a normal soldier." Mearing fixed the woman with a stern glance.

Jayla paused for a minute.

Then she looked at Mearing.

"Come talk to me in a year," she invited, her green eyes glimmering. "I'll probably have my answer then, if I feel like joining. Oh, and Director," she said, "if you really want to do something for me, please allow me to ask if Optimus and I could see each other…on a personal basis," she added. Mearing let her astonishment show.

"You…and him?" she managed to say. Jayla gave her a smirk.

"Well, I was technically his girlfriend a long time ago on Cybertron. See ya!" Jayla rolled out, and Mearing just stared after her in shock.

That woman was…something else.


	2. Chapter 2

Will stared at Jayla with concern.

She was actually happy that she was going to see Sam?

"Oh, I'll get to see Mikaela!" she cheered.

Will coughed a little, Epps doing the same. Both of them looked around awkwardly when Jayla's gaze latched onto them.

"What?" she questioned, suddenly angry.

"Um, not much," Epps said, knowing that Jayla and Will's relationship were a little strained now. "Sam's actually living with his girlfriend, who he met…at the White House receiving his medal."

Jayla froze.

"Mikaela doesn't work at the White House."

"No, Jay."

"Mikaela didn't receive a medal."

"Actually, her dad got off his parole and she did receive a medal, of courage, just not by the President."

Jayla's mind was obviously whirring like machinery…and then she nearly jumped off her wheelchair in rage.

"SAMUEL! OH WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THAT SKINNY SHRIMP OF A BOY I SWEAR THAT HE'LL LOOK LIKE ME WHEN I WASN'T HEALED!"

All around them, soldiers stared. The males looked shocked, while females looked sympathetically at Will and Epps.

"Why are all of the women looking at us sympathetically?" Will hissed to Epps. Epps took that as an invitation to ask.

When he got his answer, he whispered the reason to Will.

"Oh, gods," Will muttered. He was an idiot.

"Yeah…let's vow never to be around her at this time every month." Epps shuddered at the horrible thought.

~:~

Jayla took a deep breath. Naomi, who was to contact Jayla every month for an assessment, both of Sam's safety and Jayla's, they were also going to gossip a little. They were girls…

Anyway, nobody had told Sam _when_ Jayla was coming, just to expect her sometime that month in a wheelchair.

So far, she had a still-healing dislocated shoulder, a sprained ankle, two broken fingers (pinkies), a still-healing hole right between two ribs, and one cracked rib. And that was _after _Sunny healed her. After Sunny had done that, Ratchet did a scan that included non-life threatening (as apparently a cracked rib, sprained ankle, a dislocated shoulder, the hole between two ribs, and two broken pinkies weren't life-threatening) injuries and had prescribed her the normal medicines for both humans and demigods.

She was still healing, slowly but surely. She drank one gulp of nectar and ate one square of ambrosia a day, so she thought she'd be fine…soon-ish.

She rang the doorbell, her suitcases in the car she'd acquired.

A blonde woman opened the door, and Jayla fought to keep her jaw from dropping.

The blonde's slightly wavy hair made Jayla envious of her already. Jayla couldn't believe that the woman in front of her was Sam's girlfriend.

"Yes?" Oh great, this chick had a British accent.

"Oh, um, is Sam here? Or did I get the wrong house?" Jayla questioned weakly.

The blonde opened the door a little wider, stepping into fuller view.

And there is the jealousy. This girl had hair that looked blonde in daylight, was a little darker, almost light brown in the shadow, and was tanned.

"Who's asking?" the woman asked.

Jayla sighed. "I'm his wheelchair-bound half-god half-sister, Jayla Witwicky." She smiled a little bit at the shocked look on the girl's face. "And please tell me you aren't a freakish Decepticon Pretender waiting to kill Sam if you are his girlfriend."

The girl recovered from her shock at that. "No, I'm his girlfriend, Carly Spencer." She opened the door, yelling, "Samuel! Mail's here! I've got a surprise for you!"

She heard his feet running down steps. "Really? What?"

When he saw Jayla, his face split into the biggest smile and he hugged Jayla, squeezing her until she yelped.

"Sam! Get off!" Sam stopped, looking a little hurt. Then he noticed the sling her arm was in.

"What happened?" he questioned.

Jayla cut her eyes to Carly.

"She knows, she was told by none other than the President." Jayla nodded.

"Cool. So, I think we should go inside. And can I have a cup of boiling hot chocolate?"

~:~

Once her stuff was out of her vehicle, she began with telling Carly things she hadn't even told Sam. Sam and Carly's eyes were both wide in shock.

"Okay, so we know everything know up until Megatron took you away. Where did you go?" Sam questioned.

A small smirk came upon her face.

"And this, Sam, is where it gets awesome. I brought a few things home, because Optimus wanted me to take care of her-"

"A baby? You brought home a baby?" Sam looked angry. "We all need our sleep, Jayla-"

"SAMUEL, SHUT UP!" Both women shouted at him.

Jayla took a breath.

"It isn't a human baby, Sam." Another breath. "It's a sparkling."

Sam froze. He knew that sparklings were rare.

"She's too tiny, smaller than the others. However, we planned on raising her together. Optimus promised he'd be by so we can go on our date in a few weeks," Jayla admitted, blushing.

Carly handed her the cup of hot chocolate.

"It's hot, be care-" Carly gaped when Jayla drank the whole thing in a few seconds.

"Sorry, Carly. Anyway, I have to take care of her." Sam was quiet.

"Fine," he said grumpily. "But the first time-"

"Oh, shut up, I know," she snarled at her brother, who remained unaffected by it. "I assume you have a room for me?"

Sam sighed, but nodded. "Yeah, follow me." He slipped into a room that was currently occupied by Brainz and Wheelie. She merely sighed and gave them Energon treats.

"Okay, if you need anything else, the kitchen is just out of the door and-"

"Why did you break up with Mikaela?"

Sam paused.

"Why do you want to know?" he challenged her.

Angry, Jayla made her wheelchair turn. "Seriously, Samuel? I actually knew Mikaela better than you. We're girls, we can talk if we want to." It was true. On Jayla's free days she'd speak with Mikaela if Mikaela had a free day.

And since both Mikaela and Sam were living in DC, Mikaela and Jayla could actually talk more.

She gently grabbed her things, being careful not to wake up her hidden pets, but her Sparkling charge, who still needed a name, was wide awake and hungry.

Jayla, having remembered the necklace, had spoken with Primus the night before. She brought out another shard of a spark, a shard of Ratchet's. She didn't have her own spark, at least, not yet, so she couldn't help the little Sparkling.

The good thing was? She'd brought some rusted stuff for the Scraplets.

And since Mudflap and Skids were still creating trouble, every day they had to pick up twelve medium-sized pieces of rusted metal.

And, as a request from Jayla, Ratchet gave them a ding from a wrench every time they were a few pieces short.

Jayla cleared her tabletop, which Sam had left in there, and Brainz and Wheelie watched as she placed the shard of spark, given to her by Primus himself, next to her heart. Humming with the pulse of the spark-shard, the small sparkling slipped back into recharge.

Then, as Jayla placed Ratchet's spark-shard into a pouch, the hairs on her neck rose and she grabbed a gun before whirling her wheelchair around to see the one person, no, god, she thought had abandoned her.

"Dad?"


	3. Chapter 3

Hephaestus, the god of forges and fire, stood in front of her.

"Dad?" she repeated numbly, shock making her figure still.

Sam entered the room, talking loudly. "Jayla, you have got to stop leaving your stuff-who are you?"

"Sam," Jayla said, "please, leave. Set whatever it is you need to on my desk and just go." She spoke evenly, but alarm was singing through her veins.

Sam waited for a minute, and Hephaestus said, "I'd suggest you do it. She has a fearsome temper, probably from my side."

"What?" Sam gasped. "This is your dad?"

"Yes, Samuel." Her voice was venomous. "This god is Hephaestus. What are you doing here, Father?"

Hephaestus looked his daughter over.

~:~

She had changed, Hephaestus noticed. She was older…wiser…and world-weary. He'd seen that in a lot of demigods. Especially of late.

The prophesied seven were scattered…and now Zeus having made a mess about their secrecy, everyone knew about demigods.

Nobody believed the alien conspiracy except a few people on the web. And Percy had made all of them promise that the gods would see their kids…and yet, Hephaestus had just seen his other military-involved kid. He was impressed, but when he heard his hostile tone when he spoke about Jayla…even he knew when mortals were beyond angry with the gods. Or when a child hadn't been visited at all by him.

He knew anything he did for Jayla would be met with cold hostility…which was exactly why he didn't try to buy her favor with gifts of machinery. Some, like Leo, would be ecstatic. But Jayla…she had never met him. He'd basically abandoned her.

"Just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you," Hephaestus said. He was.

Jayla was amazing. Whether or not she was a mortal…Jayla was an amazing demigod who fought for family. Something the Olympians had forgotten over eons of bickering with each other.

"Oh." Hephaestus looked at her again, this time seeing the bandages.

"What happened?" Her eyes flew up and narrowed, obviously concerned that he was just faking his concern.

Then she sighed and set her gun on the bed nearby, with the two alien life-forms staring at the two with open curiosity.

She placed her hands on her lap. "I kind of got kidnapped. Went to a whole different planet, got a few pets and a new charge. When I came back, I nearly lost my sanity along with me nearly dying. Thankfully, my…friend Sunny was able to heal me. But I sort of ended up with a few broken bones, nothing major. Just enough to put me in a wheelchair." She smiled. Hephaestus nodded.

"Are you happy?" was his final question.

She looked at him, her eyes hardening a little.

"Yes. I am. Don't ask me for any quests because I'm done doing favors for you." Her voice was hard.

"I wasn't planning on it. I have to go back to my forge on Mount Etna. Need to IM me, go ahead and send the message through there…and here. I made this for you in case you needed it for dealing with those aliens of yours."

It was a gun. It wasn't an alien gun…just a gun with never-ending rounds of Celestial Bronze bullets.

"Thank you," she said. He knew it was a start. They might never have a good father-daughter relationship.

But he was at least trying.

~:~

As soon as her dad left, Jayla wanted to scream in frustration anger and sorrow. Instead, she decided to take deep breaths and count to ten.

Which usually never worked.

But this time, she felt her feelings slide away and she maneuvered herself onto her bed, blowing a strand of her straight red hair away from her face, then cuddling the sparkling.

She fell asleep to the young sparkling's spark-beat.

~:~

She woke up, the little sparkling rubbing her…stomach area and whining a little.

Jayla grabbed a small cube of Energon and fed it to her…and heard a ping from her computer.

She stretched, not remembering she had been only wearing a tank top since Sunny had helped her dress the day before with some camouflage pants.

She clicked on the thing that had made the ping and yawned a little.

"'Lo?" She asked, rubbing her eyes and holding the sparkling close.

Naomi grinned, her sister with her.

"Hi, morning!" they chirped.

"It is WAY too early for this," Jayla said. Naomi and Nikki giggled. Jayla only groaned a bit as the sparkling she held went into recharge.

"Have you decided on what to name her?" Naomi asked eagerly. Jayla blushed a little.

"Actually, I'm waiting so that Optimus can help me decide a name. Where are you at now?"

"Base. Since we're based here in DC at the Health and Human Services building with Energon detectors near it, any time you want to pop in for an official visit just bring the sparkling and say your name." Papers seemed to shuffle.

"Are you sharing an office?"

Nikki nodded. "With Lennox. He has so much paperwork to do it's hilarious."

"Shut up!" Lennox called.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

_And…I am like, what the scrap happened? Don't blame me, blame-okay, please blame me. It's my fault. I stayed up all night…and this happened. Comment…favorite…and don't forget, This is the THIRD installment of the series. Oh, and refer here for disclaimer:_

_If I am Rick Riordan or Michael Bay, I would be a guy. And I and I am not a guy._


	4. Chapter 4

Jayla wheeled her chair to the sink, dumping her dirty dishes in it.

Carly was gone, working. Sam was still trying to find a job suited to him.

And Jayla had nothing to do.

The little sparkling was playing with Brainz and Wheelie, and Jayla watched them for a little while before going back to her room and checking her e-mail.

There was one e-mail from Mearing, which she opened briefly, but it was just a memo that they were going to start investigating old areas of attack, and their schedule for it. Mearing was also leaving for a month…

And Jayla couldn't care less.

As she clicked each button to go to the next piece of mail, she was getting more and more bored.

Then something interesting came in.

**TO: jaylawitwicky123**

**SUBJECT: Involvement, Not Telling Me Anything, and You Know I'm Angry**

**JAYLA LEIA WITWICKY! WHAT, IN THE NAME OF THE NINE REALMS, ARE YOU DOING? HANGING AROUND WITH ALIENS! DISGRACEFUL!**

**On another hand, want to meet after a demigod vs mortals convention? I'll get chocolate pudding…and I'll be in DC!**

**ASAJ**

Jayla smirked.

**TO: skyeismyrealname145**

**SUBJECT: Re: Involvement, Not Telling Me Anything, and You Know I'm Angry**

**ANDROMEDA SKYE ARIADNE JACKSON! WHAT, IN THE NAME OF PRIMUS, ARE YOU DOING? HANGING OUT WITH ALIENS! DISGRACEFUL!**

**Hypocrite. Sure. Actually, want to come over? Bring the chocolate pudding, and you are going to think I am pathetic after you see me. Later!**

**JLW**

A reply was quickly sent back.

**TO: jaylawitwicky123**

**SUBJECT: Re: Re: Involvement, Not Telling Me Anything, and You Know I'm Angry**

…**whatever, sure. See you soon. **

**ASAJ**

Jayla chuckled a bit. She knew Skye would find her.

And indeed, she knocked on the door a few minutes later.

~:~

_**(an: for all those reading, Skye is in my Project: Jackson series. I did not include this part in that book, so don't look for it. Back to the story)**_

_**~:~**_

Skye knocked on the door to her friend's house. When the door opened, she saw nobody and walked in.

"Yo, Jayla!" a voice called.

"In the kitchen, Wheelie! And when my best friend comes, don't do what you did to Mikaela!" A second voice said. "And stop yelling! The sparkling is in recharge, dumbaft!"

"Aw…" the first voice said.

Skye followed the second voice and when she saw her friend, she had to keep from falling over from the silent laughter that overcame her.

Jayla did look pathetic.

"Wow," Skye said, regaining her voice. "You do look pathetic."

Jayla jumped.

~:~

Jayla made her wheelchair turn to look at her best friend. "Hey, Skye! What's happening with you?" she questioned, her fiend smirking at her.

"Not much. Just got some business done with the government. Now I'm on my very brief leave, as I have to go back with the AOS." She raked a hand through her hair.

Jayla sighed. "At least you weren't reassigned to look after your brother because of injuries."

Skye looked over her. "Are you healing up okay?" she questioned. Jayla laughed a little.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Skye. Don't worry about me." She wheeled herself to the fridge. "I'm actually going back to base so I can decide a name for a sparkling that is in my care, and I plan to have Ratchet scan me." Jayla raked her free hand through her hair; a habit the two shared.

Skye nodded appreciatively. "Good." Jayla closed her eyes and sighed.

"Yeah, I suppose." She opened her eyes again and said, "Where's the pudding?"

Skye snickered. "Right here." She lifted her free hand, which only now did Jayla notice.

"Can we eat it?"

~:~

_This was just a filler chapter, pretty much. Next chapter the sparkling's name will be decided and Jayla will be offered a job! Hope you liked! Comment and favorite please!_


	5. Chapter 5

"At least I'm able to drive," Jayla mournfully said as Sam helped her into the van's driver seat.

She had wrapped up her visit with her other best friend, telling Skye that Kara was…not to be mentioned unless Skye wanted to be nothing more than a little charred spot on the ground.

Skye had noted the serious tone of the girl before changing the subject-a wise thing to do.

Then it had been time for her to go, as she really didn't want to meet Sam and introduce herself as Jayla's aunt/best friend…because it was EXRTAORDINARILY creepy to have someone younger than you do so.

Skye was three years younger than Jayla. THREE YEARS. Still creepy.

Anyway, now Jayla had to go to the base and get checked by Ratchet, meet briefly with the twins (Nikki and Naomi, not Skids and Mudflap, thank Primus), talk with Optimus, and then get home.

And then she had to find herself a job as a mechanic, which Carly was actually looking into apparently at her job.

Sweet and kind, but she preferred to work a low-paying job while still getting paid by the military for watching her brother. She got two paychecks then: a low one to save and a high one to spend.

~:~

She got to the base and Ratchet was waiting for her. Quickly getting down to business, the Autobot CMO scanned the human femme and said, in a pleased sort of tone, "Your shoulder should heal in about five weeks, give or take a couple. If you refrain from too strenuous activities, you shall be able to move that arm in about a week." Ratchet paused. "Where's the sparkling?"

Jayla huffed a little.

"Right here," she said, pointing on her lap.

"Oh." Jayla smirked. As good as he was, he did fail to notice where things were when he was busy. Or something like that.

Ratchet scanned the small sparkling and said, "She's doing well. Be careful with her Energon intake, though," he warned the human demigod.

Jayla nodded. "I am. Is it okay for me to get out of this wheelchair now?"

Ratchet lifted a wrench and said, "If you do, I'll throw this at you. One more day in the wheelchair ought to do you some good."

Jayla groaned as she wheeled herself out of the med bay area.

~:~

"Nikki, Naomi," she said. She was one of the few who addressed the two as different entities. They seemed to like that, though sometimes when they acted as one, it was hard to tell who was who.

"Yo, Witwicky," they said in synch.

She smiled at them. "So is Mearing here?"

They shook their heads.

"No, Mearing-"

"-isn't coming until-"

"-next week-

"-so we're throwing-"

"-a party-"

"-a major party for-"

"-New Year's." Naomi finished. Naomi always said two words after Nikki's normal three (or four) and Naomi was usually the one who started the sentence.

"Cool. Does the Prime want to see me?" Jayla fidgeted a little, holding the little sparkling femme.

"Yeah!" Naomi said, practically gushing. Jayla snickered a little. Jayla could swear that Naomi was a child of Aphrodite. But…she had been claimed by Hermes.

Nikki and Naomi were technically NOT twins…but they were at the same time. They were…cousin/twins from the Amazon. Forest Amazon, not the Amazonian warriors led by Queen Hylla.

Until their mothers threw them out of the tribal lands, forcing them to be street-smart. Now they sort of worked for NEST.

Naomi knew that the two were sort of seeing each other. Not TOO seriously, but somewhat seriously.

Jayla gave the twins a small smile. Then asked Nikki, "Can you help me get there? Ratchet told me that I still needed to have a day of rest."

Nikki snickered at her bitter tone.

"Whatever, why not?"

~:~

She knocked on the Prime's door a few seconds after Nikki had left her outside.

"Enter," the Prime's baritone voice said. The door opened, and Optimus was sitting at his desk. He saw the wheelchair-bound femme and his optic ridges came together in question.

"Jayla," he said, obviously not expecting to see her. "What are you doing here?"

Jayla sighed. "I knew it!" She dug out her phone and sent a text to someone.

Then she put her phone away, and she gestured to the sparkling on her lap. "We have to name the sparkling something. I was wondering, what about Shadowlight Pax?"

Optimus stared at her with shock.

She hastened to say, "Since we were both taking care of her, I used a mix of Shadowdusk's and Chromelight's. I figured…since…well, a mix of the three names, I guess." She shrugged modestly.

"Let's…save that name," Optimus suggested. In case another few hatchlings were ever found. "How about Chromedusk Pax instead?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Sure. I bet Sunny will be happy about her name."

"Sunstreaker?" he questioned, slightly confused.

"No, Riley. She asked me to call her Sunny. Who am I to disappoint?" she chuckled. Optimus knew she wasn't telling him something.

And he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know what that something was.

"Thanks, Optimus," she said. Optimus nodded.

"Would you like to meet sometime?" he questioned. Jayla paused.

"Sure, Prime." She favored him with a smile. "I should actually leave now, so Sam doesn't freak out. Later!"

Optimus stared at her as she left.

Ever since she came back from Cybertron, she'd been…distant, yet close to him. She'd blurt random facts out…and say she must have heard the other bots talking a little.

The more he thought of it…the more stranger it seemed. And the more convinced that it had something to do with Shadowdusk.

~:~

Jayla pulled her van into park, little Chromedusk in her lap. She smiled a little. She was Chromedusk Pax.

"Chromedusk," she said, smiling at the little femme, who was wide awake. "Chromedusk Pax."

Chromedusk did the Cybertronian version of a giggle.

~:~

"Hey, Jayla!" Carly called that night, opening the door. She saw Jayla in the kitchen and said, "Guess what?"

Jayla merely raised an eyebrow as she finished chewing her cereal she'd been morosely eating.

"I found some mechanical errors in a few cars at my work, and my boss is looking to get some mechanics in," Carly said. "I suggested you. And Sam's ex, Mikaela."

Jayla's jaw dropped open. Then she closed it and swallowed.

"Sorry, it's a lot to take in," she apologized. Carly waved her hand.

"No big deal. So, do you want to take it?"

"Um, I'll have to ask Mikaela," Jayla said. "I do want the job, yeah, but who is going to take care of Chromedusk?"

"We will," Brainz offered, gesturing to Wheelie and him.

Jayla and Carly looked at each other, a little horrified that they'd even _suggest_ that.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I can't leave her in your servos. What's the address of your workplace?"

Carly gave her the address.

"Oh, cool," Jayla happily said. "It's only about an hour away from the base, so I can drop Chromedusk off and pick her up after work, as long as some other Autobot I actually trust is there. How many days will I have to work?"

"Three days a week. If you want to come in and work after hours with Chromedusk, Dylan, my boss, says you can, since I told him that you have a child and want to be with her as much as possible."

Jayla exhaled, then nodded.

"Alright," she reluctantly said. "I'll do some extra work after hours so I can spend some time with Chromedusk." She placed her bowl and spoon in the sink. That's when Carly caught sight of the cereal she had been eating. And the question she asked made Jayla burst out laughing.

…

…

…

"You ate my Lucky Charms?!"

Oh, the irony…


	6. Chapter 6

Jayla got her things ready and hurried into her car, her arm and ribs still wrapped, her pinkies healed. Her ankle had taken a few days, but all in all she'd been in the wheelchair because Ratchet wanted to make sure her collarbone was healed…along with her spine.

Thankfully, though, she could drive her van and get to base.

It was early that morning, and as she pulled up beside the entrance, she hoped Ratchet was there. Or even Ironhide.

"Lennox!" She called, and Lennox turned to see her carrying little Chromedusk.

"You need someone to watch her?" he questioned.

"No, I want to know if you are going on a mission or-"

"Hey, squishy." Sunstreaker appeared.

"Sunstreaker! Would you watch Chromedusk?"

"Sure, squishy. If we leave-"

"Give her to Ratchet," she replied quickly. Sunstreaker nodded. He slid away, Chromedusk still sleeping.

Lennox stared at his best friend in shock.

"Gods, what happened to you on Cybertron, Jayla?" he asked, and she giggled a little.

"Can I tell you what I accidently told Director Mearing?" He nodded. "Promise me you won't tell Optimus."

Lennox did, and she told him. He was left wide-eyed.

"But reincarnation isn't possible, Jayla! Well, I mean, Rebirth is, but what you are talking about? No way!"

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Primus IS the Lord of Light and Order, Will. So…yeah, I think it's possible."

"So, now you have a parent that can create anything as long as it is in order? As long as the Three Fates tell-"

"Will," she said slowly, "the Fates didn't even know I was coming. I was not a part in their plans. That being said…the future is uncertain when it comes to me." She checked her watch. "Scrap, I have to go. I'll be late! Later Lennox!" She darted away.

~:~

She made it just in time for her interview with Dylan Gould.

She threw her hair up in a ponytail and grabbed her purse and entered the building.

She walked over to the secretary, who looked up and smiled politely.

"Yes?"

"I'm Jayla Witwicky, I'm here to see Mr. Gould." Dear Primus, she hated this woman already. Fake smiles made Jayla want to punch her.

_Breathe,_ the ill-tempered demigod thought to herself.

"He's on floor 1, room 27. Hope you can make it in a minute," The woman snidely replied. Jayla said nothing, her eye twitching a little. She stormed off to the office.

She knocked on the door politely, and he opened it.

"Ah, you must be Miss Witwicky! Come in, come in!" he chuckled. "Carly, Mikaela, and were just talking about your brother!"

Jayla raised her brows as she entered, seeing Mikaela sitting there, Carly looking quite happy.

"Yes, my brother was an idiot for dumping his ex-girlfriend, but he did get a blonde one." Her voice was cool and very neutral. "Mikaela was WAY out of his league, but I'm not sure about Carly." Both women's eyes widened while Gould looked shocked. "Carly's got the brains. Sam has none. Mikaela had an awesome job. Sam didn't and still doesn't."

She'd managed to insult both women.

"Or maybe that's just me, thinking this about these two. Two sexy ladies, who wouldn't want them?" She gave a smirk to Gould. Let him think what he would. "Could be because I'm jealous of them, but oh well. I like machines better than people." She met Gould's gaze levelly. "Probably because my father."

Gould looked a little shocked for a little bit, then he said, "I like fire!"

Jayla smiled sweetly. "You do?" At his nod, she lit her hand on fire. "Then please don't make me angry."

"Very well. I won't!" Gould laughed. He looked at Mikaela and Carly.

"Come on, ladies! You, Miss Witwicky are amazing. Carly's worked alongside me a few times, so I expect her to show you two the ropes. One thing I want, though, is your opinion on the price of this car."

He gestured to a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

Jayla hummed a little.

She opened the door so she could see inside of it…and nearly fell back in shock.

Her heart beat fast as she traced over the symbol on the car.

"This is an odd symbol, Mr. Gould." Her voice was neutral, holding most of her anger back. However, her voice came out strange. "One would think that this didn't come with the car." She knew Carly had gone to check on something, so she was…a little worried. If Gould was working with the Decepticons, like…Kara…then she should leave.

"Is it? Are you sure?" Gould questioned. She turned to face him.

He knew about the symbol.

He was lying…but why?

"If you're certain that the symbol is odd, very well. But what about the price?"

Jayla slammed down the doors.

"Considering I need to look beneath it and the hood to actually estimate a single price, Mr. Gould, please hold on."

She knew he was getting angry…but she couldn't help goading him on.

"I'll give you until an hour after six," he replied, going back to his 'happy' mode.

After Dylan left, Mikaela looked at Jayla confusedly.

"What do you mean, a weird symbol?" She questioned.

She held up a finger and grabbed her phone. She had her finger hovering over the 'Call' button so she could call Lennox if the need arose.

"Okay, I'm going to give you ten fragging seconds before I call the Autobots to come and kick your shiny Decepticon tailpipe."

~:~

Soundwave felt amused.

But he knew enough to know that she was also being dead serious about that call.

He quietly let out a chuckle.

"None of your business, fleshy. I have business with-"

"Dylan Gould. He has something of yours, doesn't he?"

The femme's perceptiveness shocked him a bit. Then he found himself admitting something he swore he'd never repeat.

"My…spark. She's…here."

Jayla drew in a quick breath.

"She's been reincarnated on this planet…just like Sunny and I," she whispered, and Soundwave would have narrowed his optics had it not been the fact he was in an Earth-bound vehicular alt mode.

He wasn't like the Decepticon medic. He wasn't vain (nor was he currently in outer space).

But he didn't like being stuck in this form…with humans touching him.

"Tell me later…Witkicky."

He saw a smirk appear on her fleshy face.

~:~

Jayla allowed the ghost of a smirk appear on her face.

"Mikaela, I think this car does need worked on a little. Perhaps…I could ask Mr. Gould what the price would be for some flame across the car's side; this silver just doesn't suit it."

"What?" Carly questioned. "Where's Mr. Gould?"

"Oh, I was just asking Mikaela what a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG would sell for with customized decals," Jayla suddenly 'gushed'. "See, since I have the money-"

"You have the money to buy this?" Carly asked skeptically.

Jayla felt wounded. Carly understood, probably because of the wounded look Jayla was currently giving her. "Sorry."

Jayla shrugged. "No problem. I probably can afford this…if I use some of Will's." She got a good idea, but she kept her smirk mental. "I could always ask the Hatchet to take a look, because I'm pretty sure that this car needs a LOT of work, from what I can tell of the blasted engine alone."

Mikaela was staring at her.

"And the motor seems so poorly taken care of, but I think some customized decals for others who actually pay for this kind of thing is a good way to bring in more money."

"Great idea! And, for doing that, I'll just give you the car!" Dylan said, tossing the keys to her.

Jayla smiled. "Oh, thank you!" She knew she was being idiotic…or he thought she'd switched out cars.

"You did switch cars to the copy of that model, right, Mikaela?" Dylan flashed her a smirk.

"Of course, Mr. Gould," Mikaela said.

Jayla got into the Decepticon, being careful to not put maximum weight on the seat.

"You okay?" Dylan asked, his sharp eyes noticing.

Jayla gave him an irritated look.

"I broke my collarbone and nearly severed my spine, okay? I still have _some_ aches and pains, especially since the people who beat me up decided to skewer my stomach between my ribs, crack two ribs, sprain my ankle, dislocate my shoulder, and break two fingers, one on each hand," she said, her voice open and friendly. She was lying to him, because if he knew what...what _hell_ she'd been through, he'd have nightmares about it…and she still did. "And I've been on pain meds for the last few weeks, and all the blasted pain is coming back. So, no, Mr. Gould, I am _**SO**_NOT okay."

Mr. Gould raised his hands, laughing a little.

"Alright! Sorry!" He grinned. "Be careful!"

Gould walked off, then turned around. "You two are hired! I'll call you in when I need you to come in, but don't expect that a lot, as I rarely have cars needing fixed, but I'll also call you if you want to follow up on that decal thing! See you soon!"

Jayla grinned until she felt like her face was going to split.

"How nice of him, he must really like you…" Carly mused.

Jayla stopped smiling.

"Okay, I'm taking this baby for a spin, and Mikaela? Can I have your address so I can go with you?"

Mikaela gave Jayla her address.

"Okay, thanks. Here's the keys to my car. See you in a bit! Carly," she said, and Carly turned to Jayla. "Please don't tell Sam about the car. He'd be so angry."

Carly nodded in understanding. "Alright…hey, maybe you could pay him to do your chores!" Carly laughed.

"Perhaps," Jayla muttered as she closed the car door.

She said to Soundwave, "You even think about not starting and I personally will stab a thousand keyholes into your leather, got it?"

The car started and she let her hands hover above the steering wheel.

"Now, let's go find somewhere nice and quiet where we can talk and there are no Energon detectors, okay?"

In answer the Decepticon moved forward.

She gaped when the glass back of the room lifted so the car could leap out.

Then she relaxed a bit against the seat, folding her arms.

Time to get serious.


	7. Chapter 7

"WHY, IN THE NAME OF EVERYTHING THAT IS HOLY, WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING SO FOOLISH, JAYLA LEIA WITWICKY?!"

That yell made everyone (that was on the plane) turn and stare at Lennox.

"YOU-! NO, I DON'T GET- JAYLA, SHUT UP! WHAT IN THE NAME OF HADES' SWEATY GYM SHORTS DID YOU DO?!"

Demigods snickered at his terminology while the normal people just stared at Lennox curiously. The Autobot in the back idly wondered if Lennox was angry at Jayla for sending a text for Chromedusk to stay with the other sparklings at base. Blaster, Hot Shot, Darkshell, Titanium, Star Rider, Prismablaze, Nova, and Iona were all there, but a couple others, Chromedusk and Sparklight, had human guardians paired with them. They were still there, of course, being carefully watched over by Ratchet and Jolt.

"ALRIGHT, JAYLA, WHEN WE GET BACK TO BASE I'M GOING TO DRAG YOU-what?"

Lennox's face had just gone ashen.

"Okay, fine. I'll get Mearing to contact you. Yeah, whatever. You better give me an explanation for this when we get back to base," he warned the young woman.

Whatever she said must have really been funny, because he laughed a little.

"Alright, good point. I never made the smart decisions. But PROMISE me you will be careful," he sternly said.

He smiled again and said, "Thank you. I'll see you when we get back to base." He closed the cell phone and massaged his temples.

"Rough call?" a soldier asked, and Lennox looked up to see what the soldier was talking about, only to be met with smirking soldiers.

"Friend of mine." He smiled fondly. "Almost a sister…and yes, apparently she made some…new friends." His tone was dark.

~:~

Jayla exhaled nervously. Her call with Lennox had been the basics. Told him about Soundwave, Lennox flipped, and now Jayla wanted answers from the Decepticon.

"So, who does Gould have?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

Soundwave softly said, "My spark calls to her. I found her. Then another Decepticon made a deal with Gould. Gould kidnapped her. I cannot rescue her…unless I had help."

His optics brightened for a few seconds, then dimmed.

Jayla felt sorry for him.

"Okay, I'll help you."

The words flew out of her mouth before her brain could keep up with them.

"But, on a few conditions." She waited for him to nod.

He nodded.

"We go to work as usual for a few months, planning. Later, we'll go on day trips to see if you can find her." Jayla took a deep breath. "Her designation was…Skyeride…and she could use the power of time? And was great with your tech?"

Soundwave nodded.

"Okay. Then I will definitely also need help, but that means you'll have to stick around me for that time." Jayla ran a hand through her hair. "And in return for helping you…I want you to help me find some other Decepticons who had a Prime Princess as their sparkmate. And the Prime Princesses, of course."

Soundwave wondered if this was a trick. Then he realized, no, it wasn't a trick. She was genuinely trying to help.

"Very well," he replied. "You help me, and I help you."

Jayla eyed him for a few more seconds.

"Give me your word that you will help me," she said, lifting her jaw imperiously.

Soundwave vented. "I give you my word and my spark that I will help you if you help me." He couldn't help but think, _This femme would make an excellent Decepticon. Much like the other femme, Kara._

"Good. Now, we really need more ideas to get your femme out of Gould's hands. I will have to return the car you so that he doesn't get suspicious." Jayla nodded as she looked up at him.

~:~

She was tired.

No, she wasn't tired…she was being DRUGGED.

With an effort, she peeled her eyes open and everything swam in her field of vision, like she was playing ring-around-a-rosy…oh, how she missed those times with her mother…

She giggled, then sighed. Her mother was dead…but the sound of her voice always made her want to go back and warn her mother of her impending death by her father's other children. They had come in waves, never ceasing their attacks until even time could not stay still. And her mother had dies.

Wait…

Sound…

Waves…

_Soundwave's waiting I have to go they're going to drug me again!_

The girl known as Rose Sapphire trembled as a doctor came to the table next to her.

With and effort, Rose asked what year it was.

"It's been a month, girl, since we brought you here," the doctor said, grinning maliciously. "And it'll be two years by the time they find you."

Rose giggled madly.

"I doubt that…they'll never find me~" she sang.

She gave the woman a creepy grin.

"But when they find you, you'll all be dead. Dead as a doorknob…or like a handrail," she added. "Because handrails are shiny and hard like Wave's! Soundwave…help me." Rose collapsed into silence, startling the doctor. No escaping teen? Or, since Rose was REALLY old, an old crone in the body of a teen?

And then Rose grinned.

"Good-bye, doctor," she said, and the demi-titan daughter of Kronos reached up and used a pressure point in the doctor's neck.

Using her powers, Rose Sapphire made time go by faster, then spun an imaginary dial and again pressed the doctor's pressure point. Stopping time completely, she put the unconscious doctor's scrubs on and walked out of the hospital on wobbly legs.

She walked into a cyber-café, walked towards a computer, hacked into it using her newfound hacking powers and booked a ticket for the next flight.

Hailing a cab, she got to the airport in record time, bending time again to make the taxi go back, and walked into the airport.

Getting onto a plane, she boarded one that was going to a place beyond the gods.

Not that she cared; she was not one to love the Olympians.

Rose smirked and sat back as she played with a something in her hands-a glass ball playing back scenes she'd somehow missed of her dearest world.

Egypt. Mission City. And she gave a low cackle at the imagery of what was to come.

Destruction in Chicago.


	8. Chapter 8

chappy8

Jayla glared at nothing as she listened to Gould several weeks later.

She had done a few decals on cars and such, here and there, but not much else. Some cars needed fixing, while others didn't.

Since all of the department heads were at the meeting around that long glass table, she'd told Mikaela to 'go have fun' with Sunny and Bumblebee.

Now she was regretting ever signing up for this job.

The few young members in the room seemed to be bored and messing with something on their phones.

Other than Jayla.

Silently, she put her hand under the table and watched, in distinct, yet REALLY bored, fascination, as it warped under the glass.

She did this several times before she got bored of it and resumed her 'glaring at nothing'.

Then the door opened and Carly entered, making some asleep people wake up.

"Sir," she said with a winning smile, "a Leo Valdez is here to see you and Miss Witwicky for his mechanic job."

Jayla stood up and practically begged him, "Sir, if I may, can I see him? So I can, you know, see if he's right for a job like that?"

Gould stared at her like he was calculating something.

"Very well," he said, smirking at her. "I'll make April make you copies of this meeting, okay?"

April was his newest secretary (he'd fired the last one); demigod daughter of Athena.

And level-headed, experienced, and very logical. Yet she let emotion cloud her judgment sometimes. She wasn't overly logical like how Ironhide said Shockwave, a Decepticon scientist that hadn't been seen since before they had left Cybertron, was. At least, according to Sunny when they had all been briefed on Decepticons.

In fact, it was when Jayla had gone back to the base with Soundwave…

_~Flashback~_

_She pulled Soundwave up near the entrance. The Energon detectors had detected Soundwave, but she said to them, after telling Soundwave to lower the window, "IDIOTS! THIS DECEPTICON IS ALLOWING ME, A HUMAN FEMALE, OF ALL SPECIES, TO SIT INSDE HIM! AND THEY ALL KNOW THAT I CAN MELT THEM TO SCRAP, SO IF YOU DON'T ALLOW ME ENTRY, I WILL MAKE SURE YOU ALL GET DEMOTED BACK TO COFFEE CARRIERS, CARRYING COFFEE FOR THE RECRUITS! GOT IT, SOLDIERS?!"_

_They'd let her in and she'd told Soundwave to stay in vehicular mode._

_~:~_

"_So, Ironhide," Sunny suddenly asked, "who all are the Decepticons made up of?"_

_Obviously taken aback by this particular question, Ironhide stared at her for a few seconds._

"_Well, there is Megatron and his second in command, Starscream. Then there is Barricade, Sideways; Sideways was offlined by Prime's femme, there is also Soundwave, the Decepticon tactical officer, a position that was held by Prowl, but then Prowl defected. Another couple is Knockout and Breakdown, two mechs who are spark-bound to each other, though both of them feign otherwise. Then there is Shockwave, a fragging scientist to your human standards. He created a lot of things on Cybertron. The experiments were usually done on live Autobots. He's…not one for battle, though when he does fight, he tells his opponent if his moves are logical or illogical. And then there are Cons like Bonecrusher, Demolisher, and Devastator that were all offlined in Mission City, Shanghai and Egypt. Those are the major ones I know of."_

_Sunny hummed. _

_Then she asked, "So, in the ladder of 'dangerous-do not go within a foot/pede of this Decepticon', how far, on a scale of one to ten, ten being the most dangerous and one being the least, how far was Soundwave?"_

_Ironhide vented a little._

"_I'd say…about a fragging eight."_

"_Oh."_

"_Megatron is assured of his loyalty. Soundwave's not much for combat, though…"_

"_Oh…how extraordinary. Just so you know, I only asked those questions because Jayla's bringing Soundwave here to base."_

_Ironhide and Bumblebee both stared at the femme. Then Ironhide felt his vocalizer coming back online._

"_WHAT?!"_

"_Yeah. Apparently, she's about five feet away, still sitting inside the Decepticon."_

_Ironhide glitched._

"_Oh dear." Sunny looked at her alien Camaro. "He took the news better than I thought he would."_

_~Flashback over~_

Gould nodded his permission and everybody looked at her with envy.

She quickly gathered her things and quickly left.

She said, "Carly, I'd suggest you cover your ears. And get behind something."

"Why? Do you-wait, is he a demigod?" Carly questioned. Jayla rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Yes, so is April. Now, please do as I say."

With that, Carly darted away and watched.

~:~

Jayla quieted her breathing and walked quietly toward her half-brother.

She noticed the woman beside him, but paid her no attention.

Then she hit Leo over the head and he turned around and blew twenty-foot long white-hot flames.

She absorbed them and said, while some still flickered over her, "I knew you and I aren't exactly on the best of terms, little brother, but that was a little uncalled for, aye?"

Leo stared at her when the flames died down.

"Jayla?" he questioned, disbelief in his voice.

"No, Leo, I'm the lollipop boy. YES, YOU FLAME-BRAIN, I'M JAYLA!"

Leo held his hands out in a pacifying manner.

"Calm down, sis, please. Oh, and meet Calypso!"

Jayla looked at the girl.

"Hi, Calypso. Skye told me about you. She said when she and Percy blew up Mount St. Helens, she found another girl who liked Percy. She also said to tell you that she liked you a little more when you didn't turn her brother into a guinea pig." She smirked at the woman's shocked look.

"Okay, Leo, Calypso, come with me, please," she invited, showing them to her new office. When they entered, a girl stood there, her blonde hair and blue eyes striking.

"Jayla, Bee wants to tell you that Optimus will be a little late for dinner tonight," she said, smiling at Jayla. "And Bumblebee and I will be joining you two."

Suddenly, Sunny looked at Leo and Calypso.

"Sunny," Jayla said pleasantly, "this is my other half-brother, Leo Valdez and his girlfriend, daughter of Atlas and I think sister of Zoe, Calypso."

Sunny smiled at them. "I'm Riley, nice to meet you. Anyway, when are you coming back to base to pick up Chromedusk? She's been complaining. Optimus doesn't spend much time with her because he's really busy, but she's getting on everyone's nerves."

Jayla fought the suddenly overwhelming urge to scream.

"Jayla, are you okay?" Sunny asked her bond-twin with worry evident in her voice.

"No, Sunny, I'm not. I've just had a really boring meeting with our dearest Mr. Gould, I'm exhausted from the amount of paperwork that Mearing has been forcing onto me, a blast from my past has showed up, and on top of that, I still have to find Soundwave's girl! For Primus' sake, Sunny, go and tell Optimus that if he doesn't start being a better sire to Chromedusk that I personally will give him Hades! And Leo! I haven't contacted you for almost three whole fragging years! Why the Pit do you have to get a job as a mechanic? And Calypso! I don't have anything to say to you, since I don't know you, but you and Leo should just stay the PIT away from me! Gods, don't I ever get a break, dang it?!" Jayla exploded.

Leo, Calypso, and Sunny all stared at her. Then Sunny burst into laughter.

Leo and Calypso looked at Sunny for a few seconds.

"Sorry, guys," Jayla said after taking a few deep breaths. "I didn't mean all of that…"

"Jayla?" Sunny said, in between giggles.

"Yeah?"

"Look at your shirt." Sunny said, still cackling.

Jayla looked down. She knew who was responsible for this.

They'd been quiet, but she could hear their musical laughter.

'Seriously, Nightwalker, Nightshadow?'

For on her shirt, a sentence was burned into the fabric. A sentence that irked her.

It didn't help that she was wearing green today.

_They're after me lucky charms!_

Out of Jayla's mouth, leaving even Sunny stunned, came a mix of languages and their curses. Some Cybertronian curses were mixed in there as well. But as soon as she ran out of words, she was out the door, heading to her newest car.

Not Soundwave. She'd returned him after she was done, swearing to keep him updated on the progress of finding his Skyeride.


	9. Chapter 9

Sunny fixed a small wrinkle in Jayla's dress and stepped back, admiring her work.

Jayla wore an elegant strapless green dress with a slit in the side, all the way to mid-thigh. Along with that, a red ruby heart pendant lay between her breasts, something she'd had for a long time. She also ware a pair of raindrop earrings.

She'd had it since she was a small child, but she'd never worn it until now.

Her hair was curled and put into a thick ponytail, she had black eyeliner, mascara, and light, glittery midnight-blue eye shadow that accentuated her forest green eyes. Her lips were a deep, ruby red. And the one thing that remained the same? Her combat boots were still on her feet.

She hadn't dressed up since her first date with Optimus.

However, it was her birthday.

After she'd gone home to change out of her charred shirt, she'd gone and picked up Chromedusk. To her bewilderment, Lennox and several others had given her Valentine's Day cards, but none of them wished her a happy birthday.

The restaurant that Sunny, Bee, Optimus, and Jayla had chosen and had reserved under Optimus' name-well, his old one, Orion-was a very fancy one and it had people in formal dress everywhere.

Sunny was wearing a blue strapless gown that also had a slit in the side all the way to mid-thigh and had a topaz heart necklace on, as well as a set of bracelets with a teardrop on each. Her hair was also curled and in a light ponytail. Black eyeliner, mascara and eye shadow brought out her mesmerizing sky blue eyes. Pink lipstick adorned her lips instead of red. And she wore her combat boots.

Both of them had an assortment of weaponry with them, knowing the dangers of being a demigod. A few Celestial knives, Jayla's new gun from her dad was stored on her hip, and Jayla felt happy.

Happy that, for once, she was going on an uninterrupted double date.

All of her other dates with Optimus had always been interrupted.

However…she had a good feeling about this one.

~:~

Jayla walked to Bumblebee and slid in the back, Sunny slipping into the front.

"Let's go, Bee. Oh, and Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"We have to pick up Leo and Calypso. Something about…Calypso owning the restaurant and Leo having to be the older overprotective brother along with Epps?"

"Epps will be there too?"

"…"

"Great," Jayla said sarcastically. "More demigod aurae for the monsters!"

"Leo's a god, and Calypso's the immortal, ageless daughter of Atlas. Together it's like a whole beacon of light!"

"Sunny…"

"And plus you can get to know Leo more. Poor guy is sad that you don't know him that well."

"Shut up, please, sister. And happy birthday."

"You too, Jayla!"

~:~

The two picked up Leo, Calypso, Epps, and his wife Monique.

Jayla smirked at her half-brothers and said, "Hey, how's life?"

Epps only grumbled a little.

Calypso sat in the passenger side, Leo, Epps, and Monique in the back, Jayla in the middle of the front and Sunny 'driving'.

"So, Riley," Leo said, breaking the slightly awkward silence, "are you related to Jayla?"

Both girls gulped, then Jayla sighed and said, "Bee, can I tell him?"

The radio played, "Whatever (static) you (static) want."

Jayla turned to Leo, her face absolutely serious. "This car we're in is a giant, metal alien robot who Sunny is dating. I'm dating the leader of these giant metal aliens who are called Cybertronians, and Sunny is my spark-twin…when we actually get a spark. Oh, and I'm actually Shadowdusk, a Prime Princess, daughter of the Lord of Light and Order, Primus. But don't tell Optimus."

Leo gave her a considering look.

Finally, after a few more minutes, they all arrived at the restaurant and Calypso beamed.

There it was. Calypso's Restaurant.

~:~

They were all sitting down, fifteen awkward minutes later, at a magical round table that filled with their favorite foods.

To Jayla's utmost horror, Lucky Charms had been placed at her spot, with two chunks of raw meat.

And some mashed potatoes.

To everyone else's shock, she'd proceeded to eat the raw meat daintily.

When she'd finished, she'd eaten the Lucky Charms and then the mashed potatoes, causing more mashed potatoes to appear.

The Autobots consumed food like normal humans, only to burn it off later.

Out of nowhere, Jayla decided to break the awkward atmosphere.

"I'm going to get a tattoo."

And then the table was alive, some of them questioning Leo and Calypso…everyone was relaxed, finally.

Sunny looked at her twin, her eyes sparkling.

"Jayla, Will needed to speak with us" she indicated everyone but Jayla and Bee "so Bee's just going to take you home, okay?"

Jayla nodded. She'd have to give Sunny her present later.

"Alright, then." She attempted a smile. "How are you all getting there?"

"Ironhide and Jazz are helping out."

Ah…

"Okay, got it."

The rest of the night was pure fun, she and Optimus accidently having innuendos slip out of their mouths.

~:~

Optimus found himself enjoying the relaxed atmosphere Jayla was exuding. Apart from the beginning awkwardness, the families got along relatively well.

Jayla was happily eating her 'mashed potatoes' and laughing and talking in between bites.

He leaned over and gave her a 'kiss'.

She paused, a bit surprised (as this was actually their first kiss at a dinner like this) at first, but eventually she kissed him back.

The table went silent, and Optimus finally broke the kiss to hear Jayla panting a little.

She blushed as she stared at Optimus…and then the windows shattered.

~:~

Jayla stood up, grabbing a hidden gun from beneath her dress and said, "For the love of the AllSpark, I wanted ONE DAY!" Then she saw the person.

"SADIE KANE! YOU WILL DIE AFTER WE DEFEAT THIS MONSTER!" Jayla roared at her before slipping the gun away and grabbing two Celestial Bronze knives.

"Whatever, now please help me?" a blonde woman asked. She had a British accent.

"DIE, FILTHY CREATURE!" Jayla screamed. Sadie looked on, just watching the temperamental demigod.

"Wow," Sadie said, completely impressed. "She IS really powerful."


	10. Chapter 10

Jayla and Bumblebee went to her home for a couple of hours, and Jayla was called to the base, still in her dress, as she had been being lazy.

She was also told to grab any presents she bought for Sunny, so she did.

There was no guard at the gate, which struck Jayla as weird, suddenly wishing she'd brought her weapons in case of an attack.

"Bumblebee," she said as a thought occurred to her, "maybe I should be scared of what my colleagues are going to do…" she trailed off uncertainly.

Then she heard Bee laugh a little.

Then, "_Don't you worry, about a thing. Every little thing's gonna be all right!"_

Jayla huffed.

"I hope so, Bee. If not…I'm going to personally throw a wrench at you.

Suddenly, her phone chimed.

She read the text out loud.

"Go to Hangar 15."

She frowned a little, but said, "Bee…"

Bee accelerated.

~:~

Sunny could barely keep herself from laughing.

She couldn't help but double over, making the others in the hangar stare at the daughter of Apollo.

Most of the soldiers had gone to the barracks, barred from the night's activities, but only because the other soldiers were actually having a relaxing night off.

And Megatron was on the down-low, so although it was a risk, not even Mearing had thought that Megatron was coming out any time soon-just biding his time.

Even Optimus thought Megatron was planning something.

And when he'd told Mearing that, she'd quickly agreed, seeing as he had told Sam, who'd told Mikaela…who had told Lennox…who had told Epps (in front of other soldiers and those soldiers had whispered about it) that Megatron had been as close as a twin brother, once.

And Jayla had told Mearing, very softly, on one of her weekly visits, "Don't judge Optimus when you don't know him, Director. Optimus has probably held out the hope that Megatron remembers the days on Cybertron when Optimus was like a brother to him."

Understandably, the director had been shocked.

And now, they were throwing a party…that Mearing wasn't aware of.

And they were waiting for the guest of honor (other than Sunny, but since her mother died she hadn't exactly had a bunch of friends over for cake in Tartarus, so she had wanted to plan the fiery tempered demigod a suitable birthday…but thank PRIMUS they hadn't invited Judy and Ron Witwicky…there was always next year), and Sunny was texting her at specific intervals.

When she got the info that she had hit Hangar 15, Sunny sent her, "Go to Autobot Hangar 1-4. Your destination will be on the left."

She whispered to the others, "She's almost here. Shush!"

Silence.

~:~

Bumblebee volunteered to go into Autobot Hangar 1-4 the short way, and Jayla nodded. Getting into the hangar from the short way would be pointless, since Sunny's captor (if it wasn't just an elaborate prank, Sunny HAD to have been captured) had told her to go in through the long way, and Bumblebee would prove excellent backup.

Walking quickly, she allowed her heels to slap against the floor.

Steeling her nerves, she walked in.

~:~

Sunny and the others waited with bated breath. Jayla's phone chimed, and Jayla said, "Turn on light. Do not use phone or else desperate measures will be enforced."

The light flicked on, and Sunny screamed, "SURPRISE!"

As well as her friends did.

Jayla herself screamed in shock, her face breaking into a smile once she'd calmed down.

"Primus, did you do this for me and Sunny?" She asked. Sunny gave a sardonic smile.

"I never really felt like it after my Mother died. Anyway, it's not as if I could invite someone for a cup of tea into Tartarus," she finished, easily smiling at her sister.

Jayla then threw up her arms.

"It's a party, people," she said calmly.

The rest of the night was filled with drinks, laughter, and warmth.


	11. Chapter 11

_I'm time-skipping, sorry! This is after the year mark…_

~:~

**ONE YEAR LATER**

Not much had happened.

Chromedusk had to be kept at base almost 24/7 since Jayla had quit her mechanic job with Mikaela (and Chromedusk was growing a lot to be in Sam's house, and she had to stay at base with the others to be kept safe), leaving Leo to quit as well after a week of Gould harping on him. April, Gould's secretary, had been 'discreetly' given a job at NEST, seeing Jayla had her suspicions of the daughter of Athena.

Jayla's and Sunny's twenty-second birthday passed without much fanfare, but both Jayla and Optimus were taking their relationship seriously.

The two had finally revealed to the other Autobots and Jayla's closest friends that they were dating, and they had two uninterrupted dates.

The third…well, when the bill came in from the restaurant that was destroyed…Jayla almost moved to China.

And it was only June.

Now an assessment of Jayla was in order, an assessment performed by another demigod.

~:~

"Any history of disease?" the demigod wanted to know.

Jayla, bored to death, shook her head.

"Any history of self-harm?"

"No."

"Are you straight?"

"Yes…why did you need to ask that?!"

"Are you currently dating?"

"Um…no response to that."

"Are you good with personal hygiene?"

Now Jayla was wondering why, in any universe, she was doomed to get asked these ridiculous questions.

"YES!"

"Which camp did you go to? CHB or CJ?"

"Both."

And on it went.

~:~

"So, apparently I'm more of an asset," Jayla concluded to her new friend Elsa and Mikaela. Both girls lived in the DC area. "For my first assessment, I'm deemed an asset!" She couldn't believe it had taken them a few years to realize Jayla had never gone through an assessment of her abilities.

"So are you going to ever be able to go back to the base?" Mikaela questioned.

Elsa snorted. "I doubt it. Mearing follows the rules. However, the demigods-the more powerful ones that exist, like Nikki, Naomi, April, Sunny, Jayla and I-we're all considered simply 'assets' and scrap like that."

Elsa Arctic, daughter of Khione, goddess of winter or snow…both, pretty much.

Elsa had been living in Antarctica with her mother. But around the time of Kara being dropped off with Jayla, Elsa had decided to use her powers to come all the way to America.

During the year that had passed, Jayla had been searching for her sisters. She had four possible sets, and an unknown figure-

Sunny and Jayla.

Kara and (possibly) Elsa.

Nikki and Naomi.

Soundwave's Skyeride and April.

Jayla had only a vague idea of where Soundwave's human sparkmate was; however, what she didn't know was if April and Elsa were spark-twins, Kara and April were spark-twins, or if Kara and Elsa were spark twins, adding the human Skyeride to the factor.

However, they didn't particularly want to see if the human Skyeride was in Alaska or Canada; Jayla didn't like the feeling of being away from America.

Call it fright, but she just didn't want to go anywhere out of the States; she was actually planning on leaving DC in a few months.

"So, Jayla, need help with locating anyone?" Elsa questioned eagerly. Elsa didn't know of Skyeride.

"Yes," Mikaela jumped in. "She promised a Decepticon that she'd help him find his spark-mate."

A man passed the window to the shop. Jayla glared at him when he looked at them 'discreetly'.

"Guys," she muttered, catching Mikaela's and Elsa's attention. "I think we're being watched."

Nightwalker seemed to rouse herself for the first time in a year.

Jayla closed her eyes and surrendered to the wolf.

~:~

Nightwalker sniffed the air. "Indeed, Leprechaun is correct. Hello, Mikaela," she greeted. Nightwalker turned her attention to the white-haired female also at the table. "Hello, Elsa, I'm afraid my leprechaun hasn't told you about me; I'm her inner wolf-one of them-named Nightwalker."

Elsa looked shocked. "Hello, Nightwalker."

Suddenly, the door opened and several men in black trench coats entered Calypso's Restaurant (they were having lunch, but fortunately…it wasn't a 'formal' day as it usually was on Valentine's Day).

Nightwalker growled. "I haven't had a nice fight in a long time," she said, "especially not against humans." She stood up and glared at the sunglasses guy in the front of the people.

"What do you want?" she questioned, her body tense and ready to change in a swift second if the need arose.

"Miss Witwicky, Miss Arctic, and Miss Banes, we need you three to come with us," he said without any deflecting.

"Oh," Nightwalker purred. "I'm sorry, I may be in her body and may have shared her for several years, but you see…" Nightwalker grinned, several of the new generation MIB flinching when she did so, "I am not my little leprechaun." She laughed a little.

"Come with us, or-"

"What?" Elsa asked, and the room temperature dropped several significant notches. "What will you do? If you threaten an Olympian's daughter on the grounds of an Olympian's restaurant, said Olympian is likely to get PO'ed at said threatener."

The man sighed. "Come with us or Sunshine Riley gets killed!"

Nightwalker gave a loud growl. "Liars," she said, perfectly unfazed. "Now I am going to give you a choice."

She smirked at them, and at this smirk, her teeth were sharper. "I call my lady Artemis here, or my friend Apollo" though she had doubts he would come "and you get burnt to ashes and die, or leave and spare my dear leprechaun the pain of killing a human." She growled once again, and to everyone around them it was pretty clear that she had been warning them off. "Get my drift? And let's get one thing straight. Sunny is even more powerful than even I. You'll underestimate her-and it will be your last regret."

Her warning obviously hits some of them as some of the men shift.

"Stand down, pup," the leader guy warned.

Elsa laughed and growled a little as well. Nightwalker chanced a glance at Elsa and realized that Elsa had looked shocked at Nightwalker's reveal because…she had sort of the same thing.

"Two or one?" she questioned, and Elsa put up two, her face an expression of pain.

Nightwalker walked over to Elsa and whispered, "Talk to them. Allow one to come to the surface-but not control your visage."

Elsa nodded, her face determined.

Then she glared at the men, her ice-blue eyes turning a deep brown and glaring at the men.

"Leave us alone," Elsa growled, and Mikaela had a jealous look on her face. Nightwalker fought off her natural instincts and glared at the men.

"GO AWAY!" She barked (not literally) and the men went away, some tripping, others walking away slowly.

When they were almost gone, the leader man turned and said, "I'd be more careful around here, Miss Witwicky, or whoever you are. Demigods are very strange creatures, and they are beginning to wear out their welcome."

~:~

Jayla blinked, more aware and not in that sluggish phase she had been in while Nightwalker had been showing off.

And to her bewilderment, whenever Nightwalker thought of Mikaela…

Oh, dear Primus.

"Elsa," she said, "are your wolves' female?"

Elsa bit her lip, then nodded.

"Wow," Jayla said. She let a laugh bubble up and overflow hysterically. Mikaela stared at her.

"What," Mikaela demanded, is so funny?"

Jayla sobered a little.

"Well," she stated thoughtfully, "apparently my wolves think you are their alpha and want to fight over you. Something similar to my tribe…which means, they basically want to form another Artemis' Hunters pack. I have actually no idea why," Jayla added hastily as Mikaela stared at her, "but it's their natural instinct to protect you."

"Mikaela, do you have any idea who your mother is?" Interrupted Elsa. Mikaela shook her head.

"I'm pretty sure I'm a normal mortal," was her reply.

Jayla nodded, and they all went back to eating.

If Mikaela was simply an ordinary mortal…why would their wolves be acting like this? And why were the men searching for them?


	12. Chapter 12

They found out why pretty quickly.

Skye Jackson was being hunted down.

Along with every other known demigod…because mortals couldn't understand the will of the gods.

And because most mortals were afraid of the demigods…especially after Loki…and it had taken them TWO WHOLE FREAKING YEARS to let it sink in. Well…more like three.

~:~

So, Mikaela, Sunny, Nikki, Naomi, Elsa, and Jayla all drove haphazardly to base (after also picking up April), where a few soldiers were also being looked at fearfully…that is, until Mearing herself stormed in and yelled, "IN FORMATION, NOW!"

The Autobots, not exactly getting what was going on, wondered why the female was being so angry.

But everyone was lined up in a matter of seconds, all of the newly-arrived demigods plus Mikaela lining up as well.

Mearing, along with the lady that carried all of her bags, hurried up to the new center stage thingy.

Jayla, who was next to Optimus, tapped his leg and said to him, "She's probably going to kick us demigods off of her team."

~:~

Optimus frowned.

In the past year, all Jayla and him had really done was talk and got to know each other more. Of course, they had nearly done the human equivalent of interfacing, but they had been interrupted before they could go to that stage…which wasn't the point. The point was, Jayla was going to be hurt. He could tell.

And there was nothing he could do to stop it.

~:~

"Alright, everyone," Charlotte Mearing snapped, watching the hangar full of people, "I will not tolerate my soldiers not answering to their superiors because they are demigods. Yes," Mearing continued, "they may have extra powers. But if any of you disrespect ANY demigod, powers or no, remind yourselves that they aren't alien life-forms, they are human beings."

"Um, Director," a voice called out, "isn't that…sort of derogatory towards the Autobots?"

Mearing's eyes flickered to Optimus.

"Can you beat up the Autobots by yourself?" Jayla Witwicky suddenly called. "I can, but that's only when I use my flames properly! And honestly, as human beings, it is your duty to be nice. Demigods, while…powerful, certainly, can be nice or can be pissed off, in which case I think you wouldn't…never mind," she hastily finished, as people, including Mearing, stared at the daughter of Hephaestus. "Just be nice! It's not as if we started World War III!"

"Yeah," Sunny said sarcastically, "it's not as if World War II was Poseidon's, Hades', and Zeus' faults at all!"

"Sunny," Jayla rigidly snapped, "the gods don't interfere with mortal affairs! It wasn't their fault! Hades' children were on one side, but that was never actually proven-"

"The bad guys, they were German," Sunny reminded.

"For the love of- Sunny! History is written by the winners, remember? Everyone was simply scared of Hades' children, so-"

"As fascinating as demigod history 101 is," interrupted Elsa Arctic, "you two aren't helping at all! Take a walk!"

The two were shoved out by Elsa.

"Yes," Mearing said, "so there is no reason to be afraid of the demigods. No special treatment shall be given to them, but we will not work them extra hard. Got it?"

Everyone saluted the woman, and Mearing gratefully got off of the center stage thing.

~:~

Jayla and Sunny were still bickering about World War II.

"-Nico was born during that time…I think!" Jayla snapped back, and Bumblebee, who was just watching them bicker, was amazed at how these two fought.

"Have you told him yet?" Sunny asked suddenly, and Jayla instantly shook her head.

"No, I haven't."

"Why not?!" Sunny's outraged cry make Bee look around. Jayla had come her for privacy, as did Sunny, as the two obviously needed to speak about something not meant for even Mikaela's ears.

"Oh, I don't know. Have you told Bumblebee?" Jayla demanded. Bumblebee wondered what the redhead meant.

"No," Sunny admitted. "At least, I don't think so. Hey, Bee!" Sunny turned to Bumblebee. "You do know that I'm the reincarnation of Chromelight?"

Bumblebee froze. He was in his bipedal form, so when he froze he was just staring at Sunny.

"He didn't glitch, so go tell Optimus!"

"NO! I can't just go up to him casually and tell him!"

"Aw! You aren't any fun!"

And then alarms started wailing.

~:~

Jayla, Sunny, and a shocked Bumblebee all ran to the hangar they were in previously.

"Sir," Jayla asked, going up to Lennox, "what is going on?"

"New Autobots, apparently," he stated. "However, I've asked Mearing to drop your 'asset' status and you and Optimus will be leading a small team into the Sierra Nevada mountain range-"

"For what reason?"

"Apparently, some Decepticons have been spotted there, along with Kara." Anger boiled in Jayla at the mere mention of the traitor's name.

"Lovely, anything else?"

"Yes. The mountain is highly unstable, so you and Optimus will have to go in there alone. Sunny will be with me and my team, Ironhide and Bumblebee welcoming the new Autobots."

"Great…" was Jayla's sarcastic reply. "See you in a few weeks?"

"See you in a few weeks," he confirmed.


	13. Chapter 13

_WARNING!_

_There is swearing-Cybertronian-in this chapter. Don't say I didn't warn you when you see it! Anyway, on to the story! ~angelslaugh_

Jayla coughed. "HURRY UP AND GO!"

The woman in front of her shook her head. "NO!" she shouted again.

"GO OR ELSE YOU WILL DIE!" Jayla screamed. "I MAY NOT MAKE IT OUT, ESPECIALL WITH MY WOUND! _ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T LEAVE NOW!_"

Kristal let out a sob, but did as Jayla told her, running into the night. And not fifteen seconds later, the tunnel collapsed.

And Jayla smiled a tired smile, the magma singeing her body. She knew she had to hold it.

At least until the others got away.

~:~

~A day before~

Jayla tossed her bag on the bed and yawned.

They were currently at a cheap inn that had relatively clean beds.

There was seven people in her squad-two geologists, a medic (in case something happened), three soldiers, and her. Then there was Optimus Prime with his new trailer, which he was leaving there.

The plan was to go investigate the supposed Decepticon activity, but if there were none, to quietly explore in a few caves to see if there were any NATURAL sources of Energon.

Prepped for the worst, the human members of the team got a special set of clothes that were modified by Ratchet. In case of an emergency, there was a locator beacon that would start flashing if in extreme danger, a mask that would help filter oxygen (Jayla wondered how they could do that, seeing as they merely cycled the air throughout their…bipedal forms) hidden somewhere near the neck of the shirt.

All in all…she had no idea if, in fact, they would be in danger.

~:~

They all went to sleep that night easily, not worried about the next day. However, none of them thought that they'd have to go through emotional pain. And Optimus himself would be devastated.

~:~

Breakfast the next day was a quiet affair. With their special army suits, they probably looked like they were Special Forces. But nobody dared to go near the quiet people, especially afterwards when they packed up the semi they were taking into the mountains.

Jayla, upon entering Optimus' alt mode (since the two geologists and the medic were with her) said, "So, where exactly are we headed?"

"An abandoned volcano. It should take most of the day to get there," Optimus explained.

"Ah," she said.

She looked at the other three. "Want to play a game of 'Go Fish'?"

~:~

"Kristal," Jayla asked, looking at her small pile of cards, "do you have any aces?"

Kristal looked at her dwindling pile as well.

Since it was difficult to play cards in the front, Jayla had asked Optimus if he could lower the seats in the front.

He had done so; thus creating a space where they were able to play.

And since Optimus' new flight tech (plus a sword and shield, disguised as his trailer) he'd found around Christmastime had the army emblem on it (it was just a banner they'd tacked on that had the words 'precious cargo' on it as well) they really shouldn't be disturbed.

And playing 'Go Fish' was awesome, especially since Optimus had joined in a few dull hours ago (he did have to vanish occasionally, though, seeing as he had to watch the road as well as playing with them).

However, as usual, their luck was not to last.

"Go fish," Kristal stated, relief on her face.

Grumbling, Jayla grabbed another card…and laughed.

"I got what I wanted!" she crowed.

Jaqueline and Anna both groaned.

"Hmm…Anna," Jayla asked, hoping her luck would stay. "Do you have any nines?"

Anna looked shocked.

Anna had most of the cards; all ones, twos, threes, and fives. Jackie, as Jaqueline wanted to be called that.

"Yes," Anna groaned.

Kristal thumped Jayla on the back.

"Jackie, do you have any queens?" Jayla asked, and Jackie gave her all three of them.

Before Jayla could gather her four queens and set them somewhere safe, Optimus swerved.

Jayla was immediately in battle mode, tossing an, "The queens are all mine!" back at the other slightly stunned three.

"Optimus, can you give me my seat?" she asked the Autobot.

"In five seconds," was his reply, and the cab shuddered slightly.

"Scrap," Jayla said, and then her green eyes widened when she saw the emblem on the side of the vehicle. "Scrap, Optimus, STOP!"

Optimus squealed to a stop, and Jayla waited a few seconds before gracefully exiting Optimus' alt mode.

She eyed the people in front of her warily, raising her hands, allowing them to see she had weapons, but she was unarmed.

"State your name and reason why you are trespassing," ordered the guy in front. Jayla snorted.

"I am allowed to trespass into these mountains," she snapped back, "without my name or reason. As such, why in the name of Zeus' lightening-patterned worn-daily socks is SHIELD trying to stop an operation of NEST?"

There was silence.

"How do you know our organization's name?" the guy in front finally questioned.

Laughter bubbled up out of her before she could quell it.

"Are you Coulson?" At the guy's hesitant but questioning look, she smirked. "Skye Jackson told me all about you over a bowl of chocolate pudding."

There was obvious uneasiness in their stances.

She knew guilt when she saw it.

"What did you do?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"None of your business, and why we're here is because we have to inspect your cargo, even if you are part of NEST." Coulson moved as if to walk over, but Jayla's green eyes narrowed and she laughed, a bone-chilling laugh to the SHIELD agents.

"You want to search the trailer?" she asked, giggles threatening to erupt. Coulson cautiously nodded.

She grinned at them, and said, "Be my fragging guest!"

"Sir," interjected an English-sounding girl, "the readings of this truck, they are off the charts-"

"Agent Simmons," Coulson said. "We have to check the cargo. If it's important, wait until AFTER."

Jayla laughed again, her laugh chilling them (and her fellow soldiers).

"Let's show him, Prime," she muttered, leaning against the door as Coulson went to the back.

She heard Jackie say, "Who was laughing? It sounded…deranged."

"And that is why," Jayla muttered, "I _never _laugh that loud anymore."

~:~

After seeing Optimus' otherworldly flight tech, Jayla smirked amusedly after Coulson started talking with someone Skye had said to be "creepy, and almost like Clarisse. Or Reyna."

Melinda May.

From what Skye had described, Melinda was a badaft fighter.

Coulson then looked at 'Agent Jemma'.

"What is its readings again?" he questioned.

"It's giving off similar to the Tesseract, sir, but-"

"It's none of your business, actually," Jayla said, her hands tightening, her eyes turning to a brilliant purple. "We have a job to do."

They each raised their guns, and instantly, Jayla screamed in pain as she was bent double.

Then she burst into her wolf form, growling threateningly as Optimus turned his engine on.

She growled and launched herself forward.

~:~

Gunshots went off, but the wolf just dodged them.

Melinda said, "Stop!"

They did.

There was enough dust for the truck to somehow get away, and the wolf that the redhead had shifted into was nowhere to be seen.

When the dust settled, there she was.

"Stand down," ordered Coulson. The girl's eyes shifted up, and they were purple.

"Aw," she said, pouting. "I was just having fun!"

"Jayla," Coulson said, and the girl shot him an insulted look. "That is your name, correct?"

The girl laughed, and it sounded…hysterical.

She was basically screaming, but laughing.

"That is…my mistress's name, yes," she said, wiping away an imaginary tear. "But when my eyes glow purple or brighter green, either Nightwalker or I, Nightshadow, come out." She grinned a crazy smile. "I just bought the others time to escape! Yay!"

All of the team stared at the creepy girl. They were definitely used to Skye's (Skye J.'s) creepiness...but this? This was a whole other level. Like…Skye was _Paranormal Activity_ creepy, but Jayla was _Insidious _level creepy.

"Okay, um, what's your name?" Coulson questioned, getting an icer out.

"Nightshadow," was the girl's reply. "I'd say 'it's a pleasure', but seeing as you sent Big Sis-"

"Big…Sis?" Skye (the team's hacker) asked blankly.

"I guess this wolf thinks Jackson is her big sister..."

"NO!" Nightshadow proclaimed. They all looked at her.

"I'm an otaku!"

Coulson sighed and shot.

As fast as he shot, she dodged the weapon and wolfed out.

Growling, she glared at them.

Saliva dripped from her teeth, then she paused.

Ward shot a bullet, just as she changed, this time they saw the seamless transition. Just as Ward shot her.

A scream ripped out of her throat.

Those odd purple eyes widened and she gasped.

"That actually hurt!" she snarled, then her eyes closed. The team of SHIELD agents froze, not expecting her to open acidic green eyes.

"Where the Pit is Skye?" Nightwalker demanded. "I would have let my twin have her fun, but she is just a baby. So tell me before I allow her to kill you all."

"Do human lives mean so little to you?" Coulson wondered.

Nightwalker grinned.

"Yep," she said. "I could really care less if humans live or die. I actually happen to be the more restrained of the two of us. But, you hurt my older twin, me, _and_ my leprechaun. I will forgive those transgressions, but only if you tell me where you left Skye."

"We dropped her off so Loki could take her to Asgard, basically abandoning her," Hacker-Skye said quickly. "Actually, Coulson did it so everyone would have an Earth left. The rest of us didn't know."

The entire group turned to look at her with looks of shock.

And then Nightwalker was hugging her.

"Aw! You aren't a liar! Okay! I have to go catch up with my boyfriend! Bye!" She molded into a wolf, then said, in a gravelly tone, "and if I don't hear from my dear Big Sis, soonish, I personally will come and happily claw your faces off!"

She darted away, and the entire team of agents just stared after.

"What," Coulson asked slowly, "did we just encounter?"

Melinda smirked.

"A strange girl. Let's go report to Fury."

With that, they all got in their vehicles.

~:~

Meanwhile…

Nightwalker had camped out in a small cave. She knew it hadn't been a great idea, per say, especially in Canada, but hey. Maybe she could make a volcano blow up and land her on Calypso's island.

_Can you just hurry up and bind our arm, please?_ Jayla snapped.

'Yes, big sis!'

_Oh, shut up, baka._

'You're an otaku too!'

_Aw, scrap. Let's just leave so I don't have to deal with this idiot's mindless chatter. And you two can get back to your alpha, _Jayla said, her mind-voice sly.

"Why did I even reveal that to you?" Nightwalker groaned. She ripped Jayla's shirt and then transformed her hand into a set of claws to take the bullet out.

Dragging it out, she grimaced and then flicked it away.

"Ouch," she said, not really feeling the pain, just seeing all of the blood.

She tied the bandage around it and then stood up and started walking.

~:~

"Hey!" Jackie said, pointing to the front of the cave they were resting at. "She's here!"

Everyone turned to see a tired-looking Jayla.

"It took a while to get here. Where's the volcano we're supposed to look at?" she questioned. "I want to get this job over with."

"Actually," Kristal said, "we're actually here." Jayla looked impressed. "Cool. Let's go."

"Who should go with you?" questioned one of the soldiers. "Because Lennox was very clear: You aren't strong enough for this if you're exhausted-"

"Don't tell me what my so-called superiors say, soldier. I am strong-like Natsu of Fairy Tail!"

Jackie snickered as everyone stared at her.

"Sorry, Nightshadow's rubbing off on me," she said. "She's an otaku."

Stares.

Then,

"What's an otaku?" Optimus asked.

More stares, this time directed at Optimus.

Then,

"It's someone addicted to anime. Let's go, Kristal!"

"But I'm just the medic!"

"Then you can patch up my bullet wound whilst we look around!"

"BULLET WOUND?!" Jackie, Anna, Jack (a soldier) and John (the other soldier) chorused, along with Kristal.

But Kristal and Jayla were down the looming tunnel.

~:~

"So, Kristal," Jayla said, slowing down so Kristal could help her wound, "have you ever faced a Decepticon?"

Kristal shook her head. "No. I wanted to help people, so I did my best with my exams. I was planning on doing a few years of normal army medical training, but NEST approached me with an offer: to make a better difference."

Jayla smiled. "Ah. Lucky."

"Have you seen a Decepticon?" Kristal asked.

Jayla chuckled.

"Yeah. I have. Remember Mission City?"

Kristal nodded.

"Yeah. I was there. My little brother and I shoved the Cube into his spark."

Kristal looked intrigued. "Did you have any after affects?"

Jayla looked at her sharply.

She instantly…felt it.

"You are a Pretender."

It came out calmly. Kristal looked shocked, but then she backed away.

"I was." It came out as a sigh. "I did decide to become a NEST medic for the sole sake of helping those in need. When Megatron died…I was free from his tyranny."

Jayla kept walking.

"Do you hate me?"

Jayla snorted.

"Can I hate?" Jayla wondered out loud, pausing. "Yes, I can…but it feels…different. Like…it's vanishing. To answer you, Kristal…no. I don't hate you. Just…patch up my arm, please?" Jayla pleaded, suddenly dizzy.

Kristal yelped, then quickly cleaned the bullet wound.

"You are such an idiot for putting yourself in that much danger, Jayla! I mean, come on!" Kristal shouted. "If I had a wrench-!"

"You should work with Ratchet," Jayla pointed out.

Kristal raised her eyebrows.

"As if," she suddenly snarled. "Now sit back, shut up, and let me do my job!"

Jayla quickly sat down.

~:~

Fifteen minutes later they were off again, the bullet wound throbbing painfully. Jayla used her fire to mark the way, and both of them saw the end of the tunnel.

Jayla ran forward, and fell off the edge, and at the last minute, steadied herself with her fire. Like Iron Man (but without the dreadful suit…since she would have built something _much_ better), she used her palms and feet (her shoes…sort of…melted) to steady herself and shoot upward.

"We're in deep scrap," she announced.

Kristal looked panicked.

"Jayla?" she squeaked, pointing behind Jayla.

Paling when she saw the rapidly ascending magma, she decided to do something…really, really stupid.

"I'm going to see if I can control it!" she cried.

Kristal froze in shock.

"ARE YOU INSANE?" Kristal yelled. "YOU COULD BURN YOUR HAND!"

"AND WE COULD _ALL__** DIE, **_KRISTAL!"

Kristal gulped.

Then, for the first time, a tremor ripped through the ground.

"Scrap," Jayla hissed. "My first time entering Canada and I didn't even meet Boreas!"

"WHO CARES ABOUT THAT?"

"True. I'll be back!" Jayla called, and then…she jumped off.

Sailing towards the magma, she lit her own hands on fire, on the hottest fire she could make, and thought about something Sunny could and did do.

~:~

"_So, I was able to get something from my Uncle Tartarus!" Sunny said. It was Christmas morning, and Sunny was carrying something she'd been hiding in her room. "Here!"_

_She gave a black jar, extremely hot to all except Sunny and Jayla (since she was pretty much oblivious to pain that came from any source of heat; however, her clothes, at that time, were not) and Jayla opened it._

_It was filled from the river of Tartarus._

_Jayla screamed and nearly dropped the thing._

"_FROM THE RIVER OF FREAKING FIRE?! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" She yelled. _

_Sunny gave her a small smile._

"_I figured that since you wanted a challenge, Jay, that the Phlegethon would be a challenge for you. It's liquid fire."_

_Jayla thought it over._

"_This is the best gift I've ever received…come to think of it, I don't think I've ever gotten anything that wasn't a book or weapons. I'll keep this safe, Sunny!"_

_And Jayla had practiced moving the fire with her hands, but it had always slipped out, until she used fire against fire. Coating her hands with flames, she's picked it up. And then she'd gradually tricked it into thinking her natural body heat was good enough fire._

_However, holding it down without touching it was the trickiest thing to do._

~:~

She had to try.

She then caught herself from falling into the liquid-like substance, and another tremor rocked then volcano.

_We don't have much time,_ Nightshadow, unusually grown up, said.

Jayla nodded. "I know. Let's combine ourselves, like the kitsune. We have to stay in human form, though," she added, and they did as told.

Her body was outlined by flames.

She touched the magma, but didn't feel any pain. She held her hands above it; telling a force of nature to go back.

She thrust her arms downwards, but it only receded a few feet.

Jayla hissed in disappointment, but quickly came to a realization.

_We can't stop it,_ all three thought in depressed synchronization. And in defeat. _We can only delay it._

With that thought, Jayla released her hold on it and said, "Kristal! Go and warn the others!"

Kristal nodded. "I'll be back!"

Jayla was about to tell her to stay away, but Kristal was out of sight. And, since she was an ex-Con, but a Pretender…Autobot? Jayla knew she only wanted to help.

Jayla looked at the magma and cursed.

She put her hands out and used fire and magma's connection-heat-and pushed it down.

Like she thought, it jumped down a few feet.

But with every tremble, the magma got higher and higher.

Jayla heard footsteps as her shoulder started to throb as her arms began to shake.

_We have to keep them safe!_ Jayla shouted, "GO!"

Kristal shook her head. "NO!"

Jayla coughed. She was starting to get dizzy. "HURRY UP AND GO!"

The woman in front of her shook her head. "NO!" she shouted again.

"GO OR ELSE YOU WILL DIE!" Jayla screamed. "I MAY NOT MAKE IT OUT, ESPECIALL WITH MY WOUND! ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T LEAVE NOW!"

Kristal let out a sob, but did as Jayla told her, running into the night. And not fifteen seconds later, the tunnel collapsed.

And Jayla smiled a tired smile, the magma singeing her body. She knew she had to hold it.

At least until the others got away.

~:~

Optimus and the others did.

And then Kristal rushed out…and the tunnel collapsed behind her.

One look at her tearstained face…and everyone was shocked speechless.

"She'll come out of this alive," Jack stated, and everyone looked like they believed him.

Then a lava hole, up near the top, filled with lava and began pouring onto the mountainside.

"We have to get out of here," Kristal said urgently. "The mountain…it's going to blow up."

With one last look, Optimus' holoform vanished and his alt mode's door opened.

"Get in."

They did so.

And Optimus left, everyone staring at the black ash floating over the city.

And they watched it blow up.

~:~

Somewhere in Alaska…

"Apparently, something or someone blew up a mountain in Canada! The Boreads are busy freezing the area, as this happened a few times before! And someone thinks a demigod was involved-if said demigod has indeed been sighted, please call this number now!"

A hole appeared in it as someone smashed the screen of the TV in anger.

"Hunting us, now? Or going to make her pay?" A laugh came out of the person.

The figure let its hood fall down the reveal Rose Sapphire.

She waved her hand, and the TV was back in good condition.

"Hm," Rose Sapphire said, looking over the figure on her bed.

A certain fiery redhead was laying there, in terrible condition.

Bruised and having a lot of bones broken, Jayla Witwicky lay there, unconscious…and at the mercy of a woman who might just be insane.

~:~

_So a little action. How'd you like it? I did want to add in the AoS part, seeing as Skye (Jackson) made quite an impact on Jayla. Sorry for not updating sooner! Next chapter is being worked on as you read this!_


	14. Chapter 14

"Can you feel her?" Lennox asked, staring at Sunny. Sunny shifted uncomfortably.

"Yes, but-"

"She's alive, then!"

"LENNOX!" Sunny yelled, making everyone who was cheering shut up, even Mearing (who had just muttered a quiet "yay" because it meant less paperwork).

"Yeah?"

"It's like when she was in an induced stasis…except, this time, it was voluntary," Sunny explained. "She might be able to contact Optimus, but…I think she's injured."

Optimus looked grave.

"There is nothing we can do for her, not now," Optimus stated simply.

Lennox looked a little upset.

"Fine," he snapped.

"Lennox," Sunny gently said, "were you always this blind to your feelings?"

Lennox stared at Sunny.

"It doesn't matter now," he abruptly said.

"You should have at least told her, idiot!"

"Told Jayla what?" Epps asked, Leo appearing next to him.

Sunny sighed. Lennox shook his head at her pleadingly, but she scoffed at him. He threw up his hands and walked away.

"What's he in a snit for?" Epps questioned. Sunny slapped her forehead.

"He loved her."

They froze, then yelled, "WHAT?!"

"It's quite obvious," Sunny told them. "Lennox loves his wife and daughter, but he's always loved Jayla. The way he tells it, after she vanished…it was quite obvious."

Epps stared off at his friend.

"Why didn't he tell her?"

"He wasn't meant to," Sunny said simply. "Jayla loves Optimus-it's hard for her, though. Her parents are…well…a little on the crazy side, her brother has a few screws short of a light bulb, and Jayla…she not only controls fire, but _is _fire. Leo…you are not fire itself; you are the _energy_ of the fire; therefore, water doesn't affect you as much. Jayla, simply put, _is_ fire."

"When did you get so wise?" Epps wondered. Sunny simply stared at him.

"I have a lot of time on my hands," was her reply.

"But why does she have trouble expressing her emotions? I thought she was doing fine!" Epps exclaimed.

"Epps, need I explain that she went to a different fragging planet and almost went insane on top of dying?" Sunny exclaimed.

"Oh. No."

"Good. Anyway, a lot of the smiles she's been showing are fake."

"How can you tell?" Epps asked her.

A wistful expression appeared on her face. "Before my mother died, she taught me." Sunny put a hand on her heart, and a light mixed with darkness shone.

"Smile truly; forget not what smiling means. To smile is to be happy. Show emotion; not a blank slate. Otherwise an artist will come and draw a face on you. If you cry on the inside, cry on the outside. To be strong is not to be fearless-to be strong is to have fear. To be strong is to show others how you laugh and cry, how you're angry, how you're sad, how you smile and how you frown." A smile came upon her face. "How you love and how you hate."

"I thought it was just love?" Epps asked out loud.

Sunny chuckled. "No." She smiled at him. "Hate is an emotion; showing it in public may make others hate you, but Mother always taught me to be true to myself, no matter what." The wistful smile dropped, and it was as if the light had been sucked out of the room by the downcast girl. "I wish you could have met her!"

A tear slipped from her eye and she let out a sob.

Epps looked around uncomfortably.

Then he spotted Bumblebee. "Hey, Bumblebee, come over here to see your reincarnated Chromelight!"

That made Optimus and the other bots, along with Sunny, freeze in place.

"Epps," Sunny said, and she looked at him, a frightening look in her eye that made her loom over Epps.

"S-sorry, I thought they were gone!" Epps said, panicking.

"Miss Archen," Optimus rumbled, "is what Master-Sergeant Epps just said true?"

"Yeah," Sunny grumbled. "And Jayla didn't want me to tell you, but she's the reincarnation of Shadowdusk."

Optimus froze.

The humans all ran away, in case the Prime glitched.

And glitch he did.

~:~

"What made the Prime glitch?" Ratchet questioned Sunny, who sighed and mumbled something.

"What?" Ratchet questioned. "My audio receptors are on high and I couldn't hear you! Tell me before I throw a wrench at you!"

"Okay, okay! It was just some shocking news, is all! Nothing too important, right Bumblebee? Just some news about Jayla!" Sunny nervously said. Ratchet vented.

"Good news is he just has a few minor dents in him. Now tell me the truth," Ratchet demanded.

"She is," Epps defended (probably trying to get into Sunny's good books).

Ratchet stared at the two humans for a while. "Very well, Kristal!"

"Yes? The Pretender 'Bot said, jumping down, switching from Pretender form to human(ish) form gracefully.

"I'd like you to monitor Optimus' vitals. Contact me if there is any change, bad or good. Nothing was damaged…I hope," he added.

"What about his processor?"

"It should be fine. Even if something was wrong, we'd have to wait to get a corticle psychic patch, invented by Shockwave. And the chances of that are slim to none, unless a Decepticon warship comes crashing down into Earth's atmosphere. Besides," Ratchet added, "Optimus has survived far worse. I'm going to get some recharge, and you three better be out of my med bay by then!" Ratchet said, threatening them with 'death-by-wrench'.

"Yeah, yeah," Sunny waved him off, then turned to Jolt, a new Autobot medic who had saved Optimus in Egypt. "How's Prismablaze?"

Prismablaze was a femme sparkling with her first set of armor. She'd been injured because she'd accidentally wandered into the training room while it was in use, and Jolt, the mech who'd accidentally hurt her, felt horrible and was working quite fast, but steadily so as to not make a mistake, to fix the small damage done to the sparkling.

"Fine. Tell me, what really happened with the Prime?" he questioned.

"I told him something that Jayla didn't want to advertise," Epps said. "Don't know why, though."

"Idiot," scoffed Sunny. "Obviously, Jayla didn't want him to know because she thought he'd love her, not for her, but for Shadowdusk."

"And how do you know this?" Epps wondered.

Sunny looked down.

"Because…I felt the same way!" she burst out. "I wasn't planning on telling Bumblebee at all because I didn't want him to love me for being Chromedusk! Do you know how hard it is to live in the shadow of a Cybertronian? I constantly feel the need to prove myself because I told Bumblebee, and now I don't know if he loves me for me!"

_Don't be so foolish,_ Jayla's voice rang in her head. Sunny gasped. _He loves you because of who you are, and you shouldn't feel so insecure, Sunny. You are Chromelight, true. But you are Sunshine Riley Archen as well._

Sunny smiled, though tears were evident in her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered. She met Epps' eyes.

"Jayla just told me…that I shouldn't be insecure." Sunny looked over to her Bee, who was staring at her in shock.

"I love you, Bumblebee," she giggled as he suddenly picked her up.

"I…love…you too," he replied, using his real voice.

Sunny kissed his faceplate and said, "We should leave."

And the three left, leaving a stunned Jolt behind, wondering at the complex organic creatures.

'Such an odd species,' he thought. Then he got down to work, aware that Ratchet, who'd been listening the whole time, had closed the com link he'd used to do so.


	15. Chapter 15

"Can I _please _leave now?" Jayla grumbled toward the person helping her.

The blue haired girl just stared at her for a few minutes.

"Fine," she said at last. "As long as you can help me find my beloved Soundwave."

"Wait," Jayla said, her mind having stuttered to a stop as soon as the female had admitted that, "_you_ are Soundwave's sparkmate?"

Rose's head shot up.

"You know him?" she questioned.

"I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't know him," Jayla responded, staring at her quizzically.

"Hmm," Rose said. "Fine, I'll go with you. But," she said, "I want to help you. Some stuff will be going down in the future." Rose noticed the look of shock on Jayla's face. "What?"

"You just…you just said 'stuff will be going down in the future'," Jayla giggled. "And is blue your natural hair color?"

"Yes," Rose admitted without shame. "In artificial light it looks black. Is red your natural hair color?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Jayla said with a grimace. She then thought for a moment. "How are we going to get to the main US?" Rose had moved Jayla when she was unconscious to Alaska.

"Plane…or magic," Rose grinned. "I will have to call in a future favor from Lady Hecate."

A green glow briefly surrounded her.

"And…just why did you have to?"

"So we could teleport! Since you were barely conscious a few days after the incident-"

"No need to call it 'the incident'. Call it 'the exploding volcano'."

"Fine. Since you were barely conscious after the exploding volcano, I decided to tell the gods of my existence!" Rose clapped her hands together. "Granted, it only took a few hundred years, but hey!"

"Oh, joy," Jayla said flatly. "I'm related through reincarnation to a demi-titan who is a few hundred years older than me and is the daughter of my worst enemy."

"Listen, Lady Sarcasma, go to Hades."

"No thanks. I enjoy my life here." Jayla sat up. "Can we leave now? I want them to know I'm alive after months of sitting around, doing nothing but sitting on my aft."

"Certainly. You do know that I rewound time for all outside, correct?" Rose grabbed Jayla's injured arm and they teleported away.

~:~

Soundwave was still in vehicle mode when he felt his spark leap.

And then two people appeared right in front of him.

The Witwicky girl and-his spark leapt in joy-his Rose.

"OW!" The Witwicky girl yelped, the crunch of bone alerting all three of them (though they didn't know Soundwave was in front of them) to the fact that she probably shattered her arm bones.

"Oh, shut up," Rose scoffed.

"Excuse me for not being hundreds of years old," Jayla snarled.

"You're excused," Rose promptly said, flashing her a smirk. Jayla only glared at her, then turned away.

She looked around and obviously spotted Soundwave.

"He's right there in car mode, though I'd suggest we leave before-"

"Before what?" Dylan Gould asked, and instantly Rose was laughing like crazy. A few seconds later, it was dark again and Soundwave wondered what she planned.

"Let's get out of here," Jayla said, knowing the outcome.

Rose nodded, then patted Soundwave.

"Later, Soundwave. I'm safe. Let's go, Jayla."

They vanished.

~:~

They fell onto a sleeping an unsuspecting Sunny.

"OW!" Sunny yelled, the other two girls emitting the same sounds.

"Mother of-what the frag was that?" Jayla whined as soon as the lights in the girls' barracks were on, everyone either awake, muttering about how stupid Jayla and Sunny were, or still snoring, oblivious to them.

"Sorry!" Rose said. "I didn't mean to land on top of your spark-sister!"

"You could have killed me! Jayla! You need to lose some weight!" Sunny exclaimed, and instantly Jayla looked as though she'd been injured.

"What? I'm not fat!"

Sunny snickered.

"You're getting a little on the heavy side," she noted. Jayla looked at Rose pleadingly.

"Can you spin time back to where I'm thinner?" she asked, thinking the answer would be in the negative.

However, Rose only beamed and hugged Jayla. "Of course, nii-chan!"

Jayla looked at her sourly.

"You're an otaku as well? Primus, I'm surrounded by them," she groaned. Sunny bit her lip to keep herself from snickering at her friend.

"Don't worry too much, Jay. I'm pretty sure you aren't much of an otaku," she teased. Jayla paused, frowning.

"Now that you mention it, I never recall watching much anime at all." She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is there something you aren't telling me?"

She obviously directed it to someone else, because she rolled her eyes seconds later and said, "That is why I never like having you in my head…at all." She noticed Sunny's and Rose's looks, and explained quickly.

"Basically, my werewolf sides are my alter egos, I guess," she quickly explained. And that's when Sunny said something that made Jayla roll her eyes and smirk.

"I knew you weren't dead! What happened to you?" she asked, worried.

Jayla's smirk fell off of her face. "Well, after the mountain blew up, I spent a few months with Rose, who must have spun time back-she's a daughter of Kronos, by the way, and can tell some future events-so you all wouldn't have to worry. Which reminds me, what day is it?"

"Um…September 5th," Sunny replied. "Does that matter?"

"Actually, to me it does, because I've only been MIA for a few months." Jayla shuddered, then looked as though she'd just remembered something. "Can you look at my arm? I think Rose here damaged it when we visited Soundwave to tell him-more like show him-his beloved sparkmate was alive and not in hiding. I think when we fell onto the _concrete _and she let my arm fall _under_ her body the bones shattered."

Sunny winced at her words.

She put her hands on Jayla's awkwardly hanging arm and her eyebrows shot up when she assessed the damaged.

"I think," she said slowly, "I can heal _most _of the damage, but I will have to speed up the process, unlike the time when your collarbone was sort of fractured…that or broken," she added thoughtfully. "That along with your cracked spine."

"When did this happen?" Jayla squeaked. She really didn't want to know…not really.

"Oh, when you came back from Cybertron. You were still alive-just barely-and I was able to heal most of your life-threatening wounds. The hole in your stomach was the least threatening, you know? You probably would have bled out eventually if Ratchet hadn't made me stitch it up after I was done helping you become less insane and more sane," Sunny replied absently, focusing on the wound. "You are resilient. I've never met a being that could stay alive with a spine like that…which reminds me," she said, her voice clear and her blue eyes glaring at Jayla. "Keep your pet Scraplets out of the way."

"Whatever," Jayla said, her voice unsteady. "So I've only nearly died…three times now?" she asked, tilting her head.

Sunny frowned. _I think you will have a lot more NDEs in the near future, Jay,_ was what Jayla heard in her head.

_**You can feel it, too?**_ Rose asked, her mind-voice echoing through their minds.

'_I think we all can,'_ Nikki and Naomi said at once, and with a sudden realization, Sunny and Jayla realized one thing.

If Nikki, Naomi, and Rose could hear them…

So could Kara.

They felt for their Decepticon-loving sister and found her…and blocked her. For now, they couldn't trust her.

_Don't panic, April, Elsa, if you can hear me,_ Jayla sent. _Just listen. Sunny, what have you either felt or seen?_

Sunny put her hands over her temples and shook her head.

_Pain. I can clearly feel the pain…and I see Chicago,_ she stated, her mind whirling. Everyone felt it.

_**Then my snow globe was right. Chicago is inevitable. We cannot stop the tides of time; only delay it. Which means…as sisters, we must train. We must utilize our abilities as fast as we can,**_ Rose realized. _**And we must protect them.**_

'Them' meaning the humans and Cybertronians.

_But who will lead us?_ Sunny asked, bewildered. _While Primus was and is our leader now…we need a leader who has spoken to Primus as the first of us._

_Wait a minute,_ Jayla interjected, a note of hysteria in her mental voice. _Why are you accepting this so clearly? Nikki, Naomi-_

'_We feel it. We know our past,' _the twins calmly thought to them.

Elsa and April remained silent, then Elsa spoke.

_'I accepted it when I saw that you had a wolf. I just didn't know we were that connected,'_ she admitted. Jayla was close to panicking, and as a last resort she turned to April.

_**I don't know what you plan to do,**_ April stated grimly, _**but I understand. Jayla…you were the firstborn. Lead us, as you once did on Cybertron. Please.**_

That one word, 'please', was echoed by the sisters…even Kara.

While she felt a jolt of shock at Kara's plea, she nodded, gulping.

_…Fine, _Jayla reluctantly said. She thought that she was no leader. She was a soldier. And, she silently chuckled at this, a 'holy person' to be so close to Primus, to let his will be pressed upon the Sisters.

_I will lead you as I once did before._


	16. Chapter 16

Jayla groggily opened her eyes.

Upon seeing that she was in the infirmary, she frowned. What the heck…?

She turned her head, and she muttered Sam's name. He jumped up and looked at her guiltily.

"Sam…? Am I in the infirmary?" she asked dazedly. He shook his head, grinning a bit. "No, you're at our new house in DC."

Jayla frowned, a bit puzzled.

"What?" she asked, disbelief in her voice. "Then why does it look like an infirmary? And why aren't I at the base?"

Sam looked ashen.

"You don't remember, then?"

At her slow shake of her head, Sam took a deep breath.

"Well, it was after you came from the base a few days ago, scaring Carly and I. You brought Chromedusk with you, because you wanted to keep her safe. But the DHA was nearby, watching, and-"

"Wait a second," Jayla interrupted. "DHA? What?"

"Demigod Hunters Association," Sam said, his face pained. "They are hunting you now."

Jayla's heart skipped a beat.

"Ah," she said. "Please continue."

"They stormed the place. Wheelie, Brains, your spider bot, and your pet Scraplets defended you, all were injured…and Spider-bot was…offlined." Sam swallowed. Jayla had tears in her eyes.

"And that's not all." Carly appeared, with…Jayla's dad.

"Dad?" She asked. "What else happened?"

Hephaestus looked away.

Jayla's eyes widened in realization.

"No…" she said, and Carly looked grim.

"Since it was nightfall, they allowed a sea-blue Decepticon femme with several ornate black colored adorning her face-or helm-inside. She…" Carly swallowed.

"She knocked you and Chromedusk out, the DHA people knocking Sam and Carly out. I arrived in time to see them about to shoot you, but was able to stop them, but…" this time, he hesitated, the unspoken words written on his face, and she shook her head, unwilling to believe it.

"The femme Con took Chromedusk."

It was said by the holoform of Optimus, and Jayla shook her head.

"Liars," she said. Chromedusk _had _been basically her child; she may not have spent _too_ much time with the little sparkling, being a soldier, but she was devastated.

Like a mother who just got told her child was dead.

"LIARS!" She screamed, getting up and staggering out, leaning heavily on the wall. "YOU HAVE TO BE LYING!"

She made it outside before she collapsed. She was next to Optimus' alt mode, but she still felt like her heart was tearing into jagged pieces.

"No," she whimpered, and sobs wracked her body. Chromedusk…the femme 'Con…and it all came rushing back to her.

Suddenly, Jayla screamed.

It was a sound of anger, of desperation, of emotional and physical pain.

When she stopped screaming, she went back into the house and grabbed a duffel bag.

"Where are you going?" Sam questioned, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm not going to stay here for a while; I'll be back when I'm stronger," she growled. She grabbed as many clothes as she could.

Grabbing a few books, her laptop, her other electronics, and some money, she used her mind to contact her sisters.

Where she was planning to go was dangerous for any normal human, but not her.

If she fell into the ocean? Sure, she'd be dead. Unless Poseidon was pitying her, he'd probably let her drown.

And before she knew it, she was out of the house, yelling an "I'll be back before my birthday!" over her shoulder.

It was still September.

Internally, she added, _if I get stronger, I'll be back, but if not…I won't._

She knew she wouldn't be able to find Chromedusk.

But she knew this:

When Jayla found Katara, Skye's half-sister…

…Katara would be lucky to be a speck of ash.

~:~

_Sorry for the shortness, I didn't want to add the next part of the story yet. This story won't end with the Dark of the Moon's ending, as I want it a little longer than the last book. I do have loads of ideas for this story, so stick with me!_

_R&R, please!_


	17. Chapter 17

A FEW MONTHS LATER, THREE MONTHS BEFORE CHICAGO

Jayla found that she was comfortable being in a Cybertronian body, after a month of working towards said goal…she'd finally done it.

She was…happy.

Her sisters were with her, making her briefly forget the pain of losing Chromedusk.

Still, she found the distraction helping her, calming her down, a LOT.

She-and her sisters-were actually in the Ring of Fire, a deadly ring of volcanoes.

Jayla had left a few times to bring new sisters to meet the others, and all of them had decided to stay.

In Cybertronian form, Jayla had two symbionts: Nightwalker and Nightshadow. When Jayla turned back to human once without them, it had been painful and she'd nearly gone insane without them.

Still, she occasionally found out new things (like, for example, she could redirect [and create] lightning. She'd practically flipped out then) and the fact that Shadowdusk and her were now one seamless entity, human or Cybertronian.

But the months passed (and some of that time was used in a time-bubble, something that Rose made so that while time passed for them, it did not for the outside). And now she and her sisters had to break out of habits that had formed after a few weeks alone in a hazardous area.

And they were ready to go home.

~:~

"Jayla! We're all packed up!" Sunny called, and that was one thing that startled her.

They'd all communicated by mind messaging the others, and while it was practical to hone mind-messaging in case any one of them were in danger, they hadn't spoken. One of Jayla's rules.

They had to perform to the best of their ability while still being themselves, not mindless little drones.

While in the world of humans (it was…strange, Jayla had to admit, thinking of mortals as humans, and not themselves…but they weren't human. Not quite. They were…something else entirely), Jayla did speak, yes, but she'd explained everything as fast as the person could understand.

"C-coming, Sunny!" Jayla call, her voice hoarse.

She heard laughter explode around her when she tripped going in, and she smiled despite herself.

"Everything set?" Jayla questioned, going to the open back.

The plane they were using wasn't much more than a skeleton, but with several powerful demigods, demi-titans, and a couple demi-primordials, the plane was…usable.

Jayla lit her hands on fire and a twenty-foot long arc of flame made the plane jolt forward.

~:~

Several times during the week (it really did take a week to get to the US) they had to stop and lower the plane onto the surface of the sea.

There was some playing, some laughter, but it was mostly just to cool off. Jayla kept one hand on her own seat she was so terrified of the ocean.

When they arrived on a deserted beach, Jayla saw a van and looked at Nikki and Naomi, who jogged to it, opened the door since it was stupidly unlocked, and hotwired it.

And Rose, who was…not so loopy, decided to re-register the car in Nikki's name.

And finally, they were off to an empty apartment building Rose had managed to snag by bribing the owner with a couple (more like ten) thousand dollars (that were surprisingly legally obtained) that was big enough for the fifteen females. Or, fourteen; Jayla was going to see her brother; but there would be even less if the others were going back to the base.

Kyra was the daughter of Gaea, and her spark-sister Lena was a daughter of Hecate, were an example.

Laura, a daughter of Nyx, and her spark-sister was Carla, a daughter of Aphrodite were also another example.

And on it went.

Seven sets of twins and April was the one left out, which led Jayla to think Kara was her spark-sister.

"April," she said, speaking for the first time since getting into the van. April looked at Jayla with sadness in her eyes.

"Yes, sister?"

"There is something I wish to discuss with you, something that, with my rule of not talking on that volcano allowed me not to. I cannot tell you in MM (Mind-Messaging) so I thought it best to wait." She took a deep breath. "Sunny alone knows what I am about to tell you about your spark-sister."

April looked around and saw her half-sister, Lauren, with her spark-sister, Jazmine (daughter of Ares, and _very _pacifist. However, she made it clear she could be bloodthirsty like a true child of the war god when it was permitted).

She looked at Jayla and got back into the van.

"The truth is, I know who your spark-sister is. You are familiar with a demigod daughter of Poseidon that went by the name Kara?"

Looking puzzled, April nodded. "I heard, my first day at NEST, that Kara was the one who screwed up that Shanghai op." April paused. "I also heard from Sunny that she was related to the house incident of yours by Sunny." A pause. "I'm sorry."

Jayla sighed.

"I haven't heard from Kara, not since she closed down the link linking her to us. However, Kara is the one who took my…my little Chromedusk away." Jayla gave a hollow laugh. "I can't believe it's only been five months since then. And no," she added, catching April's skeptical look, "I'm not going to be precise." Jayla gave a small chuckle. "Anyway, the reason I called you in here is because I believe that Kara is your spark-sister."

April sat in stunned silence.

"Well," she said at last, "I have a major problem with that chick."

"So do I, April. So do I." Jayla's eyes, for a brief moment, unnoticed by all but herself (as she was looking at her reflection in the window) a roaring fire that stemmed from complete and utter hatred of Kara, turned blood red.

With a small gasp, Jayla jerked away.

"Jayla?"

Jayla turned to April.

She could only imagine what the eighteen year old saw-a pale face? Something sickly?

April just gasped and said, "You don't look all that great, are you okay?"

Jayla nodded, smiling weakly.

"Just thought I saw something," she truthfully replied.

_A monster, is what I saw. A monster…that is me._

~:~

_Okay, first order of business: For those who are confused, I did do a time skip. I didn't want to write all of the boring stuff, such as her meditating. And, in case you are wondering, no, not all of the Prime Princesses will have a spark-mate. Some of them will, some won't. Just saying. _

_Flashbacks will be added when Jayla thinks back to her meetings with all of them._

_Jayla is a Cybertronian/human. Techno-organic, or Cyber-organic. All of the sisters are. And her wolves are like Laserbeak in DOM; however, in her human form, they are in her mind and takeover her body when necessary. Flashbacks will happen as there will be switches in points of view. _

_And I realize that I haven't been adding Optimus with Jayla a lot-that's about to change. They WILL sparkmate in this book, and Shadowdusk's origins and some of her story will be told, as I realize I did a poor job of that in the second installment._

_I do promise you, though, Optimus and Jayla will be thrown together in a few sticky situations. Okay? And one last thing-Chromedusk IS NOT dead. Not yet._

_Okay, Read and Review, Jayla and Sam's reunion will happen, and let me just say, scrap will hit the fan!_


	18. Chapter 18

"Later, Sunny!" Jayla said, waving at the excitable woman, deciding to walk in the rain.

Jayla was visiting her brother, and she fervently prayed to Primus none of her parental figures would be there.

However…luck was certainly NOT on her side.

~:~

As soon as she got to Sam's new house…thing that Carly and Sam were renting together after Chromedusk was…kidnapped, Jayla saw a big trailer.

Slightly confused, the young woman knocked on her brother's door. She then heard a voice that chilled her bones.

"Scrap," she hissed, hearing her mother's voice. But then that faded, so she wondered if she just imagined it.

She rang the doorbell, making all noises cease.

She heard Mikaela yell, "I'll get it!"

Jayla brightened considerably. _Did Sam and Mikaela get back together after all?_ She wondered…then facepalmed when she remembered her sisters could all hear her.

When Mikaela opened the door, Jayla asked, "Did Sam break up will Carly?" in a considerably happy voice.

"Don't sound so happy," Mikaela grumbled. "Your parents forced me here. And your dad and stepdad are just glaring at each other with hostile faces." Mikaela then stared at Jayla with undisguised shock, then smirked.

"Dang girl," she said lowly, "you got toned." It was true. Jayla's skin was tanned, bronzed by the sun.

"Yeah, living near the Ring of Fire can do that to you," Jayla quipped. "However, I hated the ocean part."

"Mikaela?" Judy Witwicky appeared, looking at Jayla, "Is that one of your new friends?"

Jayla winced, a bit stung. But…then again, she understood.

Her own mother hadn't seen Jayla since Jayla was nineteen.

"Mom, it's me, Jayla. What's going on?" she questioned, her green eyes flashing.

Judy immediately sighed. "I'm sorry honey, it's just since you joined the military we haven't seen you! Lennox told me that you and a few friends of yours went on an intensive training program," she said, and Jayla coughed.

"You asked Lennox about me?!" she asked, mortified.

Judy sighed. "Get in here, we have a lot to discuss with you, little lady."

Jayla heard that tone in her mother's voice and groaned.

~:~

Jayla's mother dragged Jayla into the crowded family room, where Bumblebee sat. He looked happier when Jayla entered, but dimmed when there was no sign of his girlfriend.

Inwardly, Jayla snickered.

_Oh, Leprechaun, you are a devious one indeed,_ Nightwalker said, laughing a little.

When Bumblebee saw his beloved Sunny as Chromelight…she wondered if the poor 'Bot would glitch.

She flashed him a smirk, at which he stared at her in utter confusion.

Then she turned and she said, to her very tense family, "Yo, I'm home."

~:~

Silence.

"Jayla," Ron said, getting up to hug his stepdaughter.

"Father," she replied, hugging him back.

As soon as he stepped away, Hephaestus awkwardly hugged the human (well…for now) femme.

"Hello, Jayla," he rumbled, fire popping in his beard.

"Hi…Dad," she replied cautiously. Then, after he hugged her, she saw Sam staring at her. "Sam, I'm your sister," she growled. "Stop looking at me like I-"

"I'm not," Sam interjected, "you are willingly wearing green."

Jayla looked down at her outfit. "Huh, you're right…I actually sewed this from plants a friend of mine created," she said. "I think it was either an apple tree, or a pear tree." She shrugged indifferently.

"So…basically you're just wearing bark?" Hephaestus asked.

Jayla shook her head. "No. I created a sewing machine that Sunny, my other best friend and our dear little Bee's girlfriend helped power. I then used the color of the leaves around us to make our clothes." She smirked at her family. "Fortunately, since it was the Ring of Fire, there were many green trees around. I guess I'm just indifferent towards it now."

She smiled serenely at her family.

Judy instantly started worrying. "Are you okay? What were you thinking? Are you crazy-"

"I was trying to get over the fact that my little sparkling was taken from me, and trying to get stronger, Mother," Jayla answered. "Now, why are we here?"

Again, silence met her.

Then Sam said, "Mom decided she wanted an intervention, including Bumblebee, Carly, Mikaela, Brains, and Wheelie, but the last two left and Hephaestus apparently wanted to see your mother again."

Jayla nodded.

"Uh-huh. And now you know why I hate family reunions," she grumbled. Then she decided to painfully smile as her mother started lecturing the family gathered about the importance of keeping up with family. And, as it's apparently an American tradition by that point, everyone started arguing (Mikaela, Carly, Bee, and Jayla are exempted; Judy, Ron, Hephaestus, and Sam were the ones fighting each other).

Then finally, Jayla lost her temper.

"SHUT UP!"

Everyone shut up.

"All females, in the kitchen, NOW! All males, Dad, you better not leave, stay here and if you can't have a civil conversation, _shut the frag up,_ got it?" she growled, and everyone nodded.

The females went to the kitchen and Jayla knew there was going to be even more arguing before the night was out.

~:~

"Mother, would you grab the pans and then start making lunch? Carly, you'll do the rice. Mikaela, you'll do the mashed potatoes, and I will do the cold pasta salad," she instructed, her icy tone leaving no room for argument.

As everything was quiet, yet very tense, Jayla's mother broke the strained silence.

"So," she asked, breaking the silence, "what were you doing in the Ring of Fire, Jayla?"

Jayla shrugged.

"Training," she replied shortly.

Judy sighed, then turned toward her daughter.

"Why are you so angry, Jayla?" she questioned, and Mikaela and Carly suddenly began talking so Jayla didn't have to answer that question.

"Perhaps we should start boiling the water?" Carly loudly suggested. "Mrs. Witwicky, would you make five more sandwiches? I remember him wanting a few," she explained hurriedly.

"Yes, perhaps so," Mikaela said, and Jayla felt her wolves growl at hearing the strain on their Alpha's voice. Obviously Mikaela was helping all three of them, but honestly, Judy Witwicky was definitely persistent.

"I'll answer that if you answer mine truthfully," Jayla responded, narrowing her eyes at her mother. "Why did you cart me off to Ireland when I was fifteen?"

Judy Witwicky froze.

Mikaela and Carly did, too, obviously curious.

"You knew I was afraid," she went on, "afraid to go face to face with Morrigan or Danu again, so why?" Then Jayla laughed at herself. "Forgive me, I met Morrigan when you sent me there." Her voice went cold. "Did you know she threatened me, Mother? Well, actually she slit my wrists and was planning on letting me bleed out, but hey! It's all thanks to you and your ancestral line being descended from the gods!"

Judy's eyes were wide.

"You never told me about Danu, you said a boy was cursed-" she began.

"Mother," she said softly, "I did tell you about Danu. And I told you about my father." She let out a bitter laugh. "Unicron's blood, Mother! You didn't even know Hephaestus was a god until today, I'll bet!"

She flinched again.

"Watch it, young lady," she warned.

"Or what?" Jayla questioned, looking at her mother for a few minutes. "Or you'll forget about me like you did when I snuck off a plane and met _Lennox?_ When I went to _Ireland _and saw a boy _cursed _because I was too naïve to know scrap? Too much of a _coward_ to ask Danu to curse _me_? Maybe you'll even send me to fragging _boot camp_? Mother, I've spent my time in a fragging volcano! I even blew one up, for the sake of Primus!" Jayla was breathing heavily.

"Mrs. Witwicky," Mikaela cut in, "Jayla is the greatest girl I've ever known! She has done so much-"

"Mikaela," Judy warned. "I'll not remind you that you broke up with my son just because you couldn't have a 'normal life' and wanted to work with the Autobots!"

Mikaela flinched and Nightwalker and Nightshadow growled.

"I can't live a life without them, Mrs. Witwicky," Mikaela said, her grip on her spoon tightening.

The Scraplets entered, none of the humans paying attention to them, and grabbed the platter with the sandwiches on it and then left.

"I had to break up with him-if I hadn't, I would've kept working at my dad's workshop; I couldn't rely on him anymore. I'm a grown up," Mikaela explained quietly.

Judy snorted.

"At least he's happy with Carly now," Judy concluded.

Jayla laughed cuttingly. "Please," she snorted. "Carly works for a crazy megalomaniac."

Carly shot Jayla a hurt look. Jayla ignored it.

"So yes, out of all of us here, Carly is the only one who _has to have_ a normal life-by any chance, Carly, did your brother die in combat with the Autobots?" Jayla asked, looking at Carly.

Carly flushed.

"I will not talk about my brother, especially since you don't know the pain of losing one," Carly hissed.

Jayla snorted. "No. But apparently you all are forgetting something." Jayla turned back to her pasta salad. "None of you have lost someone in this war against the Decepticons."

"Is this a war against the Decepticons?" Judy asked, tilting her head. "Or is it the war inside yourself?"

~:~

Meanwhile, in the living room…

"So," Sam asked, "if we don't want Jayla to smite us all down, no offense, sir," he added quickly, "why not play some video games?"

The Scraplets made whirring noises that none of them paid attention to, as they were all apparently used to the Scraplets eating the unusable metal sent by the base.

"Sure," Hephaestus grunted. "I'd like to see what modern teenagers are into. Hades knows what Ares has found out."

Hephaestus said Ares' name like he was spitting out something nasty.

"I take it you and Ares aren't too fond of each other?" Sam ventured.

Ron listened with interest as he grabbed his son's third PS2 controller.

"Well…he is in love with my wife, and she constantly has an affair with him," Hephaestus stated. Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, sir, but your wife sounds horrible," he said.

Hephaestus made a face.

"Indeed, Aphrodite…is something. If you think Aphrodite is horrible, never meet my mother," he warned.

"Why's that?" Ron asked, purely out of curiosity.

"Hera threw me off Olympus because I was too ugly."

Awkward silence…

"Okay," Sam said, breaking the silence. "Here we are!" his tone was way too cheery. "Let's play some Legotm Batman!"

Hephaestus grunted, and grabbed the controller. He would've left, since he preferred his machines to humans, but he had a feeling he wouldn't see Jayla for a LONG time after this, so he stayed.

And all men, Cybertronian and Terran (Earthlings, but the 'Bots call it 'Terra' when they aren't on the planet, and call the Earthlings 'Terrans') alike worried and wondered about the females in the kitchen.

~:~

Back in the kitchen…

Jayla thought about it for a few seconds.

"Definitely the first one," she said coolly. "Either that or my NDEs are just in my head and I'm actually a psychotic freak who needs help." She pretended to think for a minute, then gasped. "Oh wait! That's exactly what I was in Ireland after my roommate saw me come into my room with blood on my shirt!"

Judy gasped. "Blood?! You killed people?!"

"No, Mother! I am a werewolf, I kill animals! I would never kill!" Jayla said. "My Alpha would be disappointed in me."

"Alpha?" she quizzically said, then Jayla shook her head.

"It doesn't matter! Mother, answer my question from earlier!"

"Fine! I sent you to Ireland after your so-called Giant War because I wanted to stop you from running away!" she admitted. "I wanted you to stay. But you left at the first chance you got! Why?" She demanded. "Why would you, of all people, leave?!"

Jayla sighed.

"You didn't know of my demigod status, Mom," she replied. "You'd've flipped out on me. Mom, I left so I could protect you! You had your normal son, your pride and joy! When I left with Lennox it was an accident, okay? I decided I would go with a random teenage boy, fitting into his luggage because I was a freakishly small nine year old! I thought I could go with him and come back within a day! But you didn't even notice that I was gone, you were just _doting _on your non-monster of a child! When I was in Ireland, Mom…I grew up," Jayla said, growing quieter. "I was so scared, Mom, that Danu would kill me. But instead, like a coward, I asked her to put the curse on the eleven year old boy." Jayla covered her face with her hands. "I've regretted that decision ever since because if I'd died then, I wouldn't have to deal with this." Jayla's voice turned to one of pain. "I fought against the gods, Mother, but I didn't have a choice! How can anyone say that they were innocent after all of those deaths? After all of those people that suffered…" Jayla's voice cracked.

"Mom, I can blame you for sending me to a place with other gods who want to kill me, but can't because I'm supposedly their 'great hope'. I can deal with the fact that I fought against the gods in both wars." Jayla's voice turned steely.

"However, I cannot ignore the fact that you guys basically doted on Sam. I got supplies, yes, I went to Sam's school, I got horrible grades because guess what? I'm dyslexic! I have fragging ADHD!" Mikaela and Carly looked like they didn't want to be there. "But you weren't watching me, helping me grow a little every year, my

"I lost my little Chromedusk, my little Spider...I can't lose you!" she said, her walls cracking. "I've loved few, trusted even fewer! Honestly, when you sent me to Ireland I was actually quite happy until I got there and Morrigan stared me in the face!"

Jayla took a deep breath.

However, before she could continue, Jayla was pulled into a motherly, suffocating hug. Then Judy did the same to the others, and Jayla realized something.

"Wow," she said, making the other women look at her. "I have abandonment issues. Carly, would you like to get some scrap off of your chest?"

Carly bit her lip, then looked at Mikaela. Mikaela shrugged, not caring all that much apparently.

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "To be honest, Mikaela, I'm jealous of your friendship with Jayla. I'm scared that if I left Sam he'll run to her and she'll set you two on a blind date with the other. Jayla, I'm envious of your personality and I wish I could be like you, tough and unstoppable. I'm tired of being a weak link, I'm sick of struggling to hide my jealousy and to be honest I was insulted at your interview with Mr. Gould a few years ago, Jayla," she flatly stated. "I'm resentful that you have your brother, and I get so angry that I want to wring someone's neck sometimes." She paused, as if that violent thing would bother them.

She took a deep breath and continued. "And I'm just so envious that he has a sister so…cool with his relationship with me. And I thought you looked pathetic when we first met Jayla, and I hated you at first sight," she boldly said. She took a peek at Jayla, who airily waved her complaint away.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Carly. To be honest I kind of hated you too," she said, and sipped her drink (that she must have gotten during Carly's mini-rant) casually. "Besides, my friend Skye thought I looked pathetic too. All bound up in a wheelchair." She sipped her drink again. "Besides, I'm like my friend Skye in many way, one of them being I am an aft to my friends. At least at first. Or those I consider my enemy…or anyone, really," she added absently.

Mikaela cleared her throat. "Are you done, Carly? Is it my turn?" Carly nodded. Mikaela took a deep breath and said, "Everyone knows how I ended up with Sam, right? How we kind of got together during the Battle of Mission City?"

Judy and Jayla nodded, Carly however shook her head.

"I'll tell you later, Carly," Mikaela reassured. She took another deep breath and began.

"I loved Sam. I said 'I love you' first-"

"A sign of your impending breakup soon to happen," Jayla muttered, smirking when her BFF threw a plate at her.

"Anyway, I said those three words, but when it became clear to me that Sam didn't want the Autobots in his life any more than he wanted a dead sister" Jayla scowled at this, but then smirked when she realized it wasn't an insult "after Egypt, I got fed up with him saying 'it's not normal to be worrying over Bumblebee'. I knew he was sick of NDEs, however I don't think he's sicker of it than you, Jayla," Mikaela added, then got back on track, "so I dumped him. I wanted to be with the Autobots…and then, with Carly, he denies ever wanting a normal life!" Mikaela sighed. "He just wants to work with Optimus Prime! I would think he's got a thing for the Prime, but I'm not sure he leans that way," Mikaela added with a frown.

Jayla's mouth had dropped open and she realized that she had hit some dirt (not much, though) on Sam and could use it as blackmail material on him later.

"And now I'm more worried about Jayla than anything! For the last five months she's been training in the Ring of Fire, strengthening herself, and she could have died! I'm worried that your switches for 'friend' and 'foe' and 'blow up' will flip and you'll burn everything in sight! I'm worried that you'll be hurt, Jayla, and what if you don't survive? What if that switch is flipped and you can't calm down from it?"

Jayla was wide-eyed with disbelief at her best friend's apparent lack of faith.

"I can control myself," she said. She barely whispered it. "I can! I have! I have been strong, I have been controlling myself! I've made sure that my temper doesn't get out of hand! What can I do to convince you?" Jayla questioned, her eyes wide.

Mikaela shrugged.

"I don't know."

It was said plainly, a statement.

And yet it drove a thousand stakes into Jayla's heart.

It…hurt, knowing that a friend could think so little of you. It made it difficult to breathe.

With a barely concealed sob, Jayla rushed out of the house, snagging her duffel bag and running out.

Why? Why did Mikaela basically say that she had no control over her powers, then basically flat-out say, "I can't help you"?

She wrenched open the gate that opened the apartment building to her; and she rushed up the steps of her new home, unlocking the door and closing it, her face streaming with tears.

She ran to her room, knowing her sisters wouldn't want to see their leader in a sniveling mess.

Sunny was the only one who entered her new room, and she comforted her strong sister, reduced to tears because of a falling out she had never wanted.

~:~

…

…

…

…_Okay, I was tired. Sue me. (don't, actually) And I just wrote and wrote. Until about 5 am. And then I couldn't go to sleep. Too early. So I have no idea how this chapter will turn out. If you're like me and currently going 'What the heck just happened here?'…I have no clue…and I'm the one who __**wrote**__ it._

_Oh, and one more thing. I may not be able to update this much, as school is coming up for me, I shouldn't have been up all night, my mother will probably murder me in my sleep for not resting properly…the list goes on. _

_However, if I do update, it might be short because it might be on my iPod. _

_Okay, later! ~angelslaugh_

_PS: Please review! Later, transfans! And all PJO fans!_


	19. Chapter 19

She didn't go back to Sam's house after the exhausted man had called her and told her that the parents and Mikaela were gone.

Instead, she decided to go on a couple missions with Lennox and Optimus, focusing on that rather than the falling out at her brother's house.

It was slightly awkward, especially when Sunny had informed her that her best friend was in love with her.

Other than that…not much happened.

Until about two weeks after that, that is…

~:~

"Jayla!" Lennox called.

Jayla turned to see him.

Things had been…really awkward between them since Jayla slipped and basically told him that Sunny had told her that he had been in love with her.

Awkward, and frankly she was tired of it. And, it seemed, so was he.

"We found something that Optimus wants to check out, and we figured that you could go with him," Lennox stated, all serious.

Jayla smiled, but it was faked. "Sure, Will. I'll help." She couldn't help but glare at his back when he left.

_Stupid idiot. How can I go with Optimus by myself?_

_**Simple. Be your idiotic self, Leprechaun.**_

_Oh, shut up, Nightwalker. And why the heck do you keep on calling me 'Leprechaun'?_

_**Well…you look like a leprechaun. Like the one on the Lucky Charms cereal box, and you went to Ireland…and ARE Irish, so…**_

_How stereotypical…and how the frag am I going to face Optimus?! We haven't even spoken since I got back!_ Jayla fretted.

_**One, I sincerely doubt that Lennox will let you go alone because you blew up a fragging volcano,**_ Nightwalker pointed out, _**and two, just act like your random, stupid self.**_

_I hate you sometimes._

_**I know, Leprechaun, but let's face it-you wouldn't be you without me.**_

Jayla ignored Nightwalker's last proclamation (which made the wolf smug) and privately fretted whether she should just vanish, never to be seen again.

_It would break his spark, so don't you dare or I'll call you a coward,_ Nightshadow snarled, surprising Jayla.

But she made sure that the wolf knew she understand by walking to Optimus' office, where she knocked.

"Enter," the Prime's baritone voice said calmly.

Jayla entered, and then stopped.

Ironhide, Bee, Jazz, and Prowl (Jazz's sparkmate, a tall, dark mech. He was Optimus' head tactician and Third in command…or TIC) were all staring at her with unidentifiable expressions (Prowl was a mech who held on expression on his faceplates).

"Um-"

"Are you really Shadowdusk? And did you really hide it from Optimus?" questioned Jazz, and Jayla clenched her hands.

"If I responded in the affirmative," she evenly questioned, "can I speak to the Prime ALONE?"

Jazz's optics widened a bit.

"If it were an affirmative," he said, "you'd have a Cybertronian form."

Jayla's eyes narrowed. However, she didn't change. Instead, she smirked widely.

"I am Shadowdusk," she revealed. "Her memories…are my memories. My memories…are her memories. By the way, Prowl," she said, "when you tried helping me and I said I wouldn't have a piece of Deceptiscum help me, I saw the hurt in your optics."

Prowl's optics widened in shock.

Then he composed his features again. He, Jazz, Bee, and Ironhide all left.

~:~

When they were all gone, the Prime regarded the femme carefully.

"Did you get Lennox's orders?" she asked, using her fire and getting on his gigantic desk.

"Indeed," Optimus stated carefully. He was eyeing her like she was a time bomb.

"By the way," she lightly said, "I didn't mean to blow myself up."

Optimus' lip plates lifted in a smile briefly, but it quickly vanished.

Jayla sighed in exasperation. "Unicron's blood, Optimus! Why won't you say anything?"

"Did you not tell me because you were afraid that I would love you for the Shadowdusk in you, rather than the Jayla?" he asked her, and Jayla bit her lip, her jolliness gone.

"Sort of," she said after a moment of silence. "But I came here to discuss the mission, not myself." She gave him a smile, and he nodded.

"Very well…before we talk about the mission, please tell me what an otaku is," he said, and Jayla burst out laughing.

~:~

Optimus found himself entranced in this small femme. Yes, since she'd turned twenty-two, they'd officially done the human thing called 'dating'.

He wondered if her parental units knew about her deadly missions.

When she'd basically blew herself up in that mountain, his spark had hurt so much. But he had a duty to do for the Autobot faction.

And if indeed Shadowdusk was Jayla…he hoped to Primus she would never remember how she died.

She had known about the Fall of Cybertron.

And she had sacrificed herself for a traitor, one that Megatron had planted in the midst of the Autobots, who was to collect a bounty on her helm.

The traitor? A mech whose designation was Lockdown, one of Ratchet's bitterest enemies.

And Lockdown, if word spread of her being Shadowdusk…

Primus save her from Lockdown.

He stared at the femme, who was currently talking about something humans called 'anime'. Even though she'd originally come into Optimus' office to talk about the mission, he couldn't help but think of how much danger that small femme was in.

The mission itself was to go into a cave near a volcano (and Optimus hoped to Primus that the volcano wasn't active and she wouldn't almost kill herself) and see if what the humans called the 'Eye of Horus' was actually there, and if it were of Cybertronian origin.

The humans weren't taking any chances-it was in the Rocky Mountains in Washington-and it had been uncovered by a bunch of Egyptian geologists, but they couldn't pry it from its place.

It looked like it was a chunk of oddly colored stone, and Optimus had reasons to believe that the jewels were for the Prime Princesses, reasons he'd keep to himself unless they were true.

If Jayla was Shadowdusk, then the rest of the sisters were on Earth. It was a reasonable assumption.

At least, he thought it was.


	20. Chapter 20

_~angelslaugh here. I've decided to explain the Prime Princesses' origins, so here is some of it. More Jayla will appear soon, so don't worry!~_

~Cybertron, in the core of the planet~

If any Cybertronian being went near the core to see Primus during a meteor shower, one where shadows had fallen and dusk had retreated, turning into the fall of night, they would have heard a single Cybertronian laugh.

During the meteor shower, where all went to watch the beauty and uniqueness of the few meteor showers, sparks from the very core of Cybertron were formed.

And sparklings were created, metal being pulled from the sides of the core in order to create sparkling frames.

And those frames, one more bulky than the others, formed around each different colored spark.

Only one being saw this, but the one he called 'brother' felt the sparklings' birth.

And Unicron swore, right before he lapsed back into stasis, to destroy the being-who-called-him-brother's children.

But Primus paid his 'brother' no heed, for he knew Unicron couldn't do anything-yet.

And thus, the Prime Princesses (with their brother that was mistaken for a femme on more than one occasion) came to be.

Each of these Princesses had a job to do, and they learned quickly what it was.

By the time normal Cybertronians would start learning their caste's trade, the Prime Princesses were already scattered on the surface of Cybertron, tuned with Cybertron's very spark itself.

And their leader was the eldest, Shadowdusk.

Shadowdusk, as part of Primus' spark, was the only one amongst them all to be a leader, and yet a soldier. A messenger, yet a hero. A healer, and yet a destroyer.

~:~

Shadowdusk, daughter of Primus, quickly walked to Iacon. Basically, she was to report to Alpha Trion, a Prime (though not many knew of this fact. Primus himself told Shadowdusk and her sisters), and head archivist in the Hall of Records.

Unease made her spinal struts shudder, her movements smooth but also slightly shaky.

She felt like something was about to happen.

Shadowdusk walked a little faster, her lack of obvious caste making other Cybertronians stare at her as she passed them. Or maybe because she worked with the government since she left her home. Which, incidentally, was the core of Cybertron.

As she lacked a caste (along with her other sisters) she herself had become Alpha Trion's…voice on the Council of Elders, though she hated them. And apparently her lack of caste made her a better politician…or Alpha Trion hated politics and decided to force her to endure them. She and her spark twin, Chromelight, owed Alpha Trion for finding them places in the high caste.

She still hated it, though.

She passed through the door that led into the Hall of Records and to Alpha Trion's office area.

She knocked, then she felt a jab of fear from her spark-twin.

She heard Alpha Trion call, "Enter."

Shadowdusk cautiously entered, and she saw her spark twin. "Chromelight!"

Relief jabbed at her spark. Relief that it was her and not somebot else.

"What's wrong?" Shadowdusk questioned suspiciously/

Chromelight put a servo on her shoulder caps.

"Just watch," Chromelight replied, her voice sounding unsure.

Shadowdusk's optics turned towards the holographic image. It was the gladiatorial pits in Kalis.

"I am Megatronus," a bot snarled, and Shadowdusk's optics widened.

It may have been thousands of vorns since the Primes, and less since the Prime Princesses Awakening and about ten solar cycles less since they left the Interior for the Exterior, but they had not seen such a scarred gladiator before…possibly because the gladiators never tended to live long.

And Shadowdusk's optics were also widened because he called himself 'Megatronus'.

The gladiator made a whole speech, but Shadowdusk's processor was still working on the fact that the gladiator called himself a name even she did not use.

Megatronus' name was stripped, and he became known as the Fallen.

"Why would he call himself 'Megatronus'?" she asked her sister, whose light blue optics, lighter then Shadowdusk's, were wide in shock, fear, and astonishment.

"I do not know, sister," she murmured, forgetting the fact that Alpha Trion was in the room.

"Perhaps," Alpha Trion stated, a seriousness in his voice that not even Shadowdusk could ignore, "it is time a new Prime was called in."

"On what basis?" Chromelight and Shadowdusk asked in synchronization, their optics narrowing at him.

"The fact that this gladiator might start a war," Alpha Trion admitted.

"Very well, but I wish to wait for a while longer. Sister," Shadowdusk turned to Chromelight, "I will be at our home unit. Contact me if you need anything. I shall contact Primus, ask for his wisdom."

Alpha Trion cleared his vents.

"And how do you know Primus will respond?" he questioned, expecting the two of them to look away, embarrassed.

Chromelight was the only one that did, but that was the only acknowledgement of his question.

"Sister, what if he reprimands you? This could be nothing!" Chromelight said. Shadowdusk vented.

"Each risk must be carefully weighed, yes. If I do nothing and a new Prime is made, our last Primes would probably be considered obsolete, although Alpha Trion is definitely _not_ obsolete. I can't exactly say the same for Father's last pupil; Sentinel is a huge disappointment."

Chromelight's vents went on high as the sisters began arguing.

"But if we don't wait, Father might call us back! He's stayed silent for the past thousand vorns!" Chromelight snapped.

Shadowdusk's vents also went on high, higher than Chromelight's as Shadowdusk's frame temperature heated up, Alpha Trion just staring at the two, his optics wide in shock and amusement.

"Yes, but he told me before we left the Interior that he'd answer if we call! I don't think-"

Alpha Trion's friend, an archivist with high potential, the potential to be a PRIME of all things, passed the two on his way to Alpha Trion's desk.

"Sir," the deep baritone of Orion Pax's voice said, "an attack was made on Vos, just a few breems after the holographic video was released."

He set a datapad down and left, not noticing the two femmes in the shadows.

Shadowdusk stared at the blue and red mech with unabashed curiosity.

Amused at her spark twin's interest, Chromelight waited a few breems.

Then, seeing Alpha Trion's faceplates as he watched the video on the data pad, Chromelight waved her servo in front of her sister's unmoving optics.

"Shadowdusk! SHADOWDUSK!"

Shadowdusk was broken out of her stare and said, in a strained voice, "That mech has a lot of potential to be a Prime, so why not go to the Council of Elders?"

Chromelight gave her an amused smirk, as though she knew why she had suggested it.

"Really?" she questioned, her the ridge above her right optic lifting in a skeptical manner. "Is that the real reason you want him to be a Prime?"

Suddenly, fire engulfed Shadowdusk's servo as she clenched it.

"Don't even think about suggesting what I think you are," she snarled, and Chromelight merely scoffed.

"I knew it!"

Chromelight barely ducked a flaming servo aimed at her helm.


	21. Chapter 21

Jayla led Optimus through the mountain, her gun in front of her, expecting monsters or some evil thing.

She didn't expect to see SHIELD.

~:~

"Sir," Agent Ward said, "Simmons got a reading similar to the truck."

Coulson frowned.

If the tech wasn't Stark's, whose was it?

Percy had paled when he'd heard of the tech, but when Coulson had questioned him, Percy had kept his lips sealed.

Understandable, since they had basically thrown Skye to the wolves. Figuratively.

Percy hadn't been civil since then, only talking to the Avengers.

He'd turned to Tony and said, "I have to talk to someone. She…I'll get the information as soon as I can." A look of realization passed over his face and he shot Coulson a withering look. "She would have been more receptive if you hadn't thrown her best friend with a crazy psychotic god of mischief, made her shift, and not stopped her NEST operations."

Percy had then disconnected the call.

Coulson turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Let's wait and see if Jayla will appear."

And appear she did, tripping several alarms, however, a static distortion made the cameras that alerted them distort and blur.

~:~

"Stop, Prime," she hissed, spotting a camera. She raised her hand, and a funnel of flame melted it. "I have a bad feeling about this," she said, quoting one of her favorite characters from _Star Wars._

Optimus, in his truck mode and being very careful to pretend he was a normal insentient machine, going as far as to use his holoform 'driving' his alt mode, was right behind her and gave her a draft of warm air.

One draft was either 'I agree' or 'Affirmative'. Anything in the positive zone was one draft. Two drafts were the negative responses.

Suddenly, explosives in the cave went off, causing a dirt wall several feet in front of them and several feet behind them.

Instead of panicking and flipping out like a normal girl would have, Jayla calmly went over to the driver's side of Optimus and tapped on the window, signifying he should open his door and let her in.

He did so.

Although Jayla had a limited supply of air, she could use her body until the change was triggered.

Either by concentrating intensely, or by it being life or death.

Something Jayla did on accident when she'd been about to land in a volcano. She'd landed in the lava, and she had no practice on not getting herself hurt.

See, she could get hurt by fire if she wasn't prepared.

But ultimately, water was her greatest weakness.

Anyway, she had completely submerged and she felt pain. Then she'd blacked out, and awoken on a small ledge right next to the lava.

So she vowed to never take an unplanned swim in fragging _magma/lava_ ever again.

"Hey, Prime," she said, "how are you doing?"

"I was actually wondering the same about you," returned the Prime, using his holoform.

Usually, Jayla hated his holoform. But since he obviously couldn't stand up, she took comfort in the fact that she could see him.

"I'm fine, at least I'm here with you," she stated, before realizing what she said, blushing faintly.

The AC started up, making Jayla inwardly laugh as she saw the holoform Prime blush a little.

"Anyway, I'm serious. We haven't spent that much time together, so…" she smirked a little. "I think the others would yell at me for even considering abandoning them."

The Prime chuckled.

Then he said, "Major Lennox is getting promoted." Jayla's jaw dropped. "To a behind-the-desk job, is what I think you humans call it."

Jayla had to bite her fist really fast to muffle her laughter.

"He's going to hate it," she stated blandly, mirth still obvious in her twinkling green eyes.

"Possibly," he said. "He did complain about how much paperwork he had to do."

Jayla snorted. "Sounds like Will. Anyway…Optimus, how are we going to get out of-"

She was cut off by the Autobot kissing her.

Shocked, but a little pleased, she allowed him to deepen the kiss.

Several times they parted so Jayla could get a bit of fresh air, but all in all it was just a huge make out session…until the rocks went away.

~:~

The Agents of SHIELD unearthed the huge semi-truck, which appeared to have Jayla and a guy making out with each other.

"Please exit the truck, Miss Witwicky, and bring your fellow boyfriend with you, please," Coulson ordered, and Jayla pushed her boyfriend off of her and shoved his head down. "And no violence, please."

She got out of the truck and smirked at Coulson.

"Optimus, please come out. They seem to be under the impression that I'm going to come peacefully," she stated. The man who had been with her also exited his truck and calmly wrapped his arms around Jayla.

"Sweetspark, why don't we cooperate with these guys?" he questioned, his voice a deep baritone.

"Aw," Jayla said, pouting. "I wanted to have some target practice!"

The trucker raised an eyebrow at her.

"Kidding!" she said. "Okay, I just wanted to maim them a little."

"No," the man said, and she slumped.

"You, sir, are no fun," she growled, then she looked at the Agents of SHIELD, who were smirking at them.

"Miss Witwicky, you will surrender and tell us of NEST's interest to this area or we will have to go to extreme measures."

Suddenly, an IM appeared and Percy was in it.

"Jayla! Nice to see you! I've been calling and calling you, but Iris said IM reception was volatile where you were," he explained.

"Nice to see you as well, Percy. As for the IMs, I haven't been around, lately. Ask Optimus here." She jabbed her thumb at the man, who waved.

Percy looked at him in disbelief.

"That's Optimus? I thought he was taller…that's what Skye's pictures showed," he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, he's taller. Much, much taller. And this is his truck. But I have to go-the agents of SHIELD are quite mad," she noted.

"I believe you," Percy said. "See you soon, I hope?"

"Maybe. I'm rooming with Skye in a couple of months, so yeah. I have to go," she repeated. Percy nodded.

"Later!"

Jayla slashed through the IM, only to get iced in the shoulder by the icer, and she collapsed.

When Optimus was iced, he fizzled into nothing, which made everyone look shocked.

Then they latched the truck by a thick cable onto another, and Ward dragged the unconscious female to the other truck, taping her hands with duct tape and other not-burnable things.

Skye, the hacker, watched them with wide eyes.

"Guys," she said, "that isn't going to do anything."

"Why not?" Ward asked.

"Well, I don't know, you tell me," Skye snapped, turning her computer around and showing them Jayla's military record.

Ward whistled at the list of training the girl had gotten.

Name: Jayla Leia Witwicky

Age: Twenty-two

Birthday: February 14

Family/Friends: Judy Witwicky (Mother), Ronald Witwicky (stepfather), Samuel Witwicky (half-brother), Mikaela Banes (close friend), Carly Spencer (brother's current girlfriend), and Optimus Prime (boyfriend).

Weapons Training: Swords, knives, guns, bows, and arrows.

Combat Training: Mixed Martial Arts and Weapons Training

"And when I tried to hack further, look what it asks," Skye said, swiveling the computer back towards her, hitting a few keys, and then turning it back around.

A symbol of a face within a triangle with NEST written on it* was visible, along with the words "**THIS IS PROPERTY OF NEST. PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND PASSCODE."**

"So we go with hers," Coulson said, and Skye huffed.

"If I could remember the passcode-"

"Jayla Witwicky, I heart Optimus Prime," An alert and wide awake Jayla said, looking at the ceiling with a smug grin on her face. "Passcode authorization: IHATETHETERRORTWINSANDMUDFLADANDSKIDS*."

Ward snorted.

Then another sentence appeared.

"**VOICE PRINT RECOGNIZED. STAND BY FOR GENERAL MORSHOWER."**

"Who's General Morshower?" Coulson asked, and Jayla scoffed.

~:~

"Frag it, don't you ever look up Generals anymore? Gods, and they call you 'Agents'." A face came up.

"Jayla, how many times do I have to tell you NOT to call me on this channel?!" an exasperated, and a newly robed General Morshower hissed.

"Oops, sorry, General," Jayla said, and Ward dragged her to where the General could be seen. "I have an important question for you."

"Spit it out," the General sighed.

Jayla adopted a serious look. "Can you tell SHIELD to stop screwing around with NEST operations?"

General Morshower stared at her for a few seconds.

"Um…"

"Please? I know you are on good terms with Nick Fury~" she said in a sing-song tone.

"Fine," Morshower grumbled. "I'll ask him. And, Jayla?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell them about the NBEs."

"C

ALL THEM BY THEIR FACTIONS! OH, wait. I got some shields here. Later, Pops," she said, and Morshower glared at her.

"NEVER CALL ME THAT AGAIN," he snapped.

Jayla would've raised her hands if Ward hadn't tied her up by tying pipes together.

"Ok, ok, geez. Chill, Gramps. Later!" She hit the button with her head, cutting off the General's protest.

~:~

She noticed all of their looks.

"What?" she defended. "I can call him whatever I want…just not at work," she added.

Then the truck shook, making everyone stare at it.

Jayla rolled her eyes.

"Screw it. Optimus, you can show them."

"But the General-" Hacker girl jumped as sound came from the truck.

"Rules are meant to be broken. Transform and maybe we can get these afts off our tailpipes," she said, and the truck seemed to sigh.

"Very well. Is there enough room in the cave?"

"Yep."

The truck transformed, and a thirty-something foot tall robot who was kneeling to be their height stared down at them.

"Fury's going to blow a gasket," Jayla said.

Coulson turned to her.

"Is this one of Stark's?"

A look of anger twisted her features.

"How. Dare. You. Call. A. Cybertronian. A. Non. Sentient. Alien. Robot." She ground out. "This is Optimus Prime, my boyfriend and leader to the Autobots. Their war became NEST's when they arrived to save the AllSpark." She sounded a little sad. "I myself was on their ravaged planet." She closed her eyes. "And from what Skye tells me of Asgard…she would be horrified."

"Why?" Coulson wondered.

Optimus shifted. "Our war is with the Decepticons. I, along with my Autobots, have sworn never to take a human life."

"Why not?" Ward wondered. "You could easily squish someone."

Jayla smacked her forehead. "Of course they can," she said. "But the Decepticons? Well, they are you mortals' worst nightmare. I've worked with NEST since it began, even added to its list of founders. Unlike Will," she said, snorting a little, "but I somehow doubt that you'll have to worry about any NEST operations getting in your way. Optimus and I are searching for what appears to be a mythical Egyptian token that may be Cybertronian in origin."

"Nice," Hacker girl (Skye) said approvingly. "Need help?"

Jayla looked at Optimus, biting her lip.

Then Optimus nodded, and Jayla reluctantly said, "Sure."

Optimus then transformed back into his truck, and Skye, Ward, and Jayla entered the truck.

And the thing was…Jayla didn't trust Ward. At all.


	22. Chapter 22

_Beginning sentence is of the crystals, but she'll be told what they are after Chicago happens:) I'm evil, I know. Anyway-WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MENTIONS OF INTERFACING!_

_Yes, they become sparkmates in this chapter. The mighty Autobot leader and Jayla._

_Oh, and later in the chapter also begins the 'Dark of the Moon' arc. _

Jayla, Skye, and Ward got the crystals loaded up, said goodbye to SHIELD, and left the Rocky Mountain Range.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Jayla looked at the stars, glimmering softly, and sighed. She was on the roof of her home (well, hers, Sam's, and Carly's).

She honed in on a distant star that was in the general direction of Cybertron and smiled softly.

Then she looked around, and seeing as barely any cars went by, she transformed into her Cybertronian form.

Venting with relief, she released the twin wolves from their compartments and vented again.

Nightshadow and Nightwalker glanced at their friend they'd shared a head with since…well…since Shadowdusk died.

"Leprechaun," Nightwalker began, then said, "Leprechaun, let's go riding."

Shadowdusk nodded, and, jumping off the roof of Sam and Carly's roof, landed on the ground in her alt mode, a sleek and sexy green and red motorcycle. The wolves managed to turn into similar alt modes, Nightwalker being a white motorcycle with a holoform of a woman in white leather, with a helmet covering the face, and Nightshadow was a black motorcycle with a woman in black leather. And Jayla's holoform was…herself, pretty much, just wearing a leather jacket and a helmet.

The three roared out into the night, passing Energon scanners and alerting NEST…although Jayla had forgotten about them.

Little did she know that Nightshadow had set her up…

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"Are you certain you want to go alone?" Will questioned Optimus, and Optimus nodded empathetically.

"I must," was his grave reply.

So the Autobot leader drove, and when he got to the cliff side where he took Jayla, he saw a familiar Autobot femme.

His spark seemed to stop.

"Shadowdusk…?"

The femme turned, and she said, "Optimus, I totally need to explain."

Optimus sheathed his Energon sword as he realized…that sounded like Jayla. But…she was Shadowdusk.

"Optimus, I may have a new voice, even a new set of memories, but I will ALWAYS be Shadowdusk, whether you think it's true or not," she said clearly. "On Cybertron, so many years ago, not my most recent visit…before I…died…I realized that I, Shadowdusk…Jayla Witwicky…whoever I am, or will be…" she paused. "I will always love you."

Optimus felt his own optics widen in shock.

"Shadowdusk, I too felt that way, but I did not want to condemn a femme like you to a leader…but if you want it…"

He trailed off, and suddenly both of them were doing the Cybertronian version of kissing.

And then it led to them finally spark-mating…

~:~

"Hey! Sam, you got a job?" Jayla questioned a couple weeks later. Optimus had proposed to her, even though they were technically married by Cybertronian standards, and now she was on her way to a facility in Ukraine (Chernobyl), having heard something from Ukraine's government. Well, Will called them in and now they were doing this. And not even she knew why, not really.

"Yeah, I have to go. My boss is giving me the evil eye, and Carly's coming up. Oh, and Mom and Dad popped in. I forgot today was going to be their visit."

Ever since the fallout, Jayla's parents made sure to call first. Mikaela and Jayla had patched things up a bit as well.

"Hey, Shadowdusk, I heard you spark-mated with Prime," Ironhide rumbled. Jayla vented.

"Do all the Autobots know?" she asked, her voice obviously grumpy.

"No, just Jazz, Prowl, Mirage, and I do." Ironhide was staring at her with a serious look on his face-plates. "If you abandon the Prime…" he threatened.

Jayla grimaced.

"Unfortunately, there will have to be a line. First, my mother would kill me. Then Primus. Then Optimus. Then you."

Ironhide vented, obviously dissatisfied.

"Whatever," he decided.

Ironhide and Ratchet were…sort of involved with Nikki and Naomi. No, Jayla wasn't sure how that happened…it just had.

"Alright," Will called. "Now we're going in and just checking things out. If there is a problem, Shadowdusk, Ironhide, and Optimus will deal with it. Got it?" Will asked sharply.

Shadowdusk (Jayla will be referred to as Shadowdusk in Cybertronian form) transformed into her alt mode, and her holoform's helmet twisted to look at Will.

"Get on, idiot, I'm planning on beating Ironhide."

Will grinned a little bit and yelled, "Hurry up!" to the soldiers.

He got onto Shadowdusk's alt mode and instantly they were off, zooming into the factory, a mask over Will's face so no radiation sunk into his head…or lungs.

They quickly reached the center when Shadowdusk abruptly stopped.

"Get off, Will," she tensely snapped.

Will got off, wondering at his friend's change.

"What's wrong?" he questioned.

Shadowdusk transformed and knelt down, placing a finger over one of her audios.

~:~

** , got my coordinates?.:**

** , Shadowdusk…what's wrong?.:**

**:.I found something of Cybertronian origin..:**

**:.I'll be there as fast as possible. What is it?.:**

** 's an engine part…from, I think, the Ark.:**


	23. Chapter 23

Optimus and Jayla were in a fury. Or a snit; depending on who you spoke to.

After Jayla had relayed the message to Optimus, he had drove into the area, noticing the fact that Laserbeak, one of Soundwave's symbionts, was flying around.

Then Shockwave had burst out of the ground.

~:~

"What is this, the silent treatment? And who are the new girls?" Mearing questioned, assuming the new bikes were female Autobots.

"No, we've seen that before. And the red and green femme is Lady Prime."

The bike's engine stuttered.

"Prime! Make something of yourself!" Ironhide growled. Both the motorcycle and the Prime transformed.

"You told us every Cybertronian object was given back to us!" the 'Lady Prime' snarled, making Mearing wonder who exactly the green with red highlights was.

"And yet we find this engine part in human possession," Optimus finished.

"I had no idea, until Lennox sent us some pictures, that the engine part was there," Mearing admitted. "However, based on our research-"

"Oh, I don't care about your gods' forsaken research," the Lady Prime snarled.

All of the Autobots, Optimus included, stared at her.

"What? It's obviously from the Ark!" she hissed, looking at Optimus. "Am I right?"

Optimus reluctantly nodded.

Then a few space travelers made the Lady Prime zone into space, and everyone looked at her when she finally asked Buzz Aldrin a question Ironhide was going to.

"Did you search the crash vault?"

Optimus seemed to have calmed down, considerably.

"The ship's name was the Ark. I watched as it fled Cybertron in the early days of the Exodus," he admitted. "It carried a precious cargo that would have won us the war."

"And a Prime that I don't even _remotely _like!" The Lady Prime snarled. "I told Father he should never have appointed that…piece of _slag _as the leader! Alpha Trion just _had _to put you under his tutelage because, and I fragging quote him on this, 'Orion must learn from a Prime, not a child of Primus'. And I even _suggested _that that piece of slag for a Prime was not a good mentor! And Father even agreed with me!"

Optimus stared at her.

"By 'father'," another new femme questioned, speaking from her vantage point at the entrance to the hangar, "do you mean Hephaestus or Primus?"

"You know who I mean, Chromelight. You know he agreed with me; you were there!"

"Wait," Mearing interjected, "what are you talking about?"

"A corrupted Prime," Lady Prime snarled, but Optimus shook his helm.

"He is a Prime, one sent by your father, Shadowdusk," he gently said.

Shadowdusk vented.

"Optimus…if you think that that dirty piece of slag-ridden filth is any good…then even you have been deceived," she whispered.

She stormed out, Mearing jumping when the two other motorcycles turned into wolf-bots.

~:~

**ON THE ARK**

"Optimus," Ironhide quietly said, "what if Jayla is right?"

Optimus shook his helm.

"If I am simply to listen to my spark-mate when it comes to my mentor-" Optimus began, but then Jazz cut him off.

"The Prime Princesses are olda than ya think, sir," he said. "I myself have come across a record statin' that a Shadowdusk had been born right after the time of the Primes." Jazz gave him a significant look. "After the Original. I think that Primus made them to simply help each generation…"

It was clear that Optimus wasn't listening.

And yet…Jazz vented and shared a despairing look with Ironhide and Ratchet.

If Shadowdusk was right in her anger…then all of them were in danger. And they were just too blind to see the honest truth.

Which also meant…if Jayla was telling the truth, they'd have no way to know until it was too late.

~:~

Jayla turned to her human self, her wolves joining that seamless transformation.

However, a debilitating headache forced both Sunny and Jayla to the ground.

Jayla was suddenly swamped with images of deaths…Mudflap, Skids…Ironhide…Jazz…all of them would die, but not if Jayla intervened.

And just as Jayla decided that, the images replayed; still the idiot twins would die…but not Jazz or Ironhide.

And Jayla…heard whispers.

_Lady Prime…_

_Beware of the sentinel…_

_Beware of the betrayer…_

_BEWARE!_

And Jayla screamed, "I ALREADY KNOW, I WAS THERE!"

Pain pounded mercilessly in her head, and suddenly clarity was gone.

And then it was there.

**Kara…no, Diamondclear stood before her.**

"**Shall I kill her?" She held a more grown up version of Chromedusk.**

"**Yes," a voice said, and instantly, Kara pulled the trigger.**

**Bits of metal flew everywhere and it went blurry for a minute, before switching angles.**

**There was a bloodied and bruised Jayla in the vision, hanging by chains. Her clothes hung on her thin frame and she was obviously sobbing.**

"**Now," Sentinel said, "You will…"**

His voice faded out and Sunny's voice replaced it, and the vision was gone.

_I'm sorry, Jayla, but I cannot allow you to remember this just yet. I hope it isn't set in stone; please forgive me._

_**How could I hate you?**_ Jayla wanted to know, but got no response.

And she passed out.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Only Sunny knew the ending of the vision. She didn't realize her vision had pulled Jayla into it to make a choice until it was too late.

Regretful, she carried her spark-sister to her car and drove to their apartment.

When she pulled Jayla out, the sisters, all of them, swarmed around the Prime Princess, barely giving her room to breathe.

"Guys, Jayla had a minor headache from a vision I had. But no matter what you do, DO NOT discuss what I'm about to show you," she warned. They muttered a swear.

Instantly, the images assaulted them.

Horrified looks were shared after that.

"How…atrocious!" Losh, daughter of Morpheus, gasped, her black nails standing out. She was one of the only ones who were really pale, but was an inner nerd. She used big words, but only around her sisters.

"Silence is key, remember," Sunny warned them. They all nodded-Jayla couldn't find out about the end of the vision.

_Thanks to Element1999 for reviewing all those times! Thanks to Element1999 and Yankeegirl01 for favoriting this story!_


	24. Chapter 24

"I'm really starting to hate you," she said, mock-glaring at Ratchet.

The grumpy medic returned her glare with a real one.

"Perhaps you should stop ending up in my med-bay, then," he returned, and Jayla sighed.

Ratchet moved away and Jayla lay back on her sheets, the headache suddenly returning.

She closed her eyes, leaning against the pillow.

~:~

She opened her eyes to see Ratchet conversing with Optimus, who was near…

Jayla got up and stormed out of the med-bay, knowing Ratchet was scanning her.

She looked back once to give Sentinel Prime a hate-filled look.

She walked out and into a bathroom, her head aching.

_JAYLA!_

Kara's shout thundered through her head, and Jayla yelped, accidently causing soot to go onto every clean surface.

_**I have nothing good to say to you, Kara. Leave me alone,**_ Jayla demanded.

_I swear I will keep Chromedusk safe._

Jayla's eyes widened, but just like that, Kara's presence was gone and her other sisters felt…guilty?

_**What's wrong?**_ Jayla questioned, sending to Sunny.

_I had a vision and erased it from your memory, with Chloride's help._ Chloride was a daughter of Hecate, who, interestingly enough had had a relationship with Hypnos. Then Hypnos dumped her, kindly (but he was blunt about it) and gave her some of his powers.

Odd, but not unheard of.

Just another relationship with an immortal that would never work out.

Anyway, she specialized in healing and memory magic. She could fight, but she was usually best at defense.

Unlike Jayla, who was best at offense and defense both…but she had her weaknesses. She might have been ambidextrous (neither hand was her dominant hand; she used both), but she was weaker at her left side as she favored her right if she was in a swordfight.

And her fire…well, it was obvious.

Water. Water was her weakness and her deepest fear-something few knew. Add that with her fear of being left alone in solitude…

She sent a brief acknowledgement to Sunny, sending peace as well. Her sisters knew she wasn't angry at them.

She sighed and went to her brother's side.

Apparently, he and Carly had gotten a talking-to by Mearing; and now Sam and Mearing were practically steaming mad.

"So, Sam," She said, appearing next to her brother, "how's Seymour doing?"

Sam blinked at her.

"Oh, hey, Jay. What's up? And how would I know?"

"Well, I saw him on tv. Thought you would contact him because, clearly, he is insane."

"Okay, fine. Whatever. I might need his help to figure out some stuff…hey, Jayla. I heard that you stole a space shuttle."

Jayla went red.

"Okay," she said steering him away from Lennox and Mearing, "that was a while ago. I stole it because I needed Soundwave's help…and Soundwave knows to contact me if he needs anything as well." She saw Sam's skeptical look.

"Look, believe me or not, Sam, but Soundwave is actually helping us."

"Alright," Sam said reluctantly. "Just don't expect me to like it."

They returned to watch Optimus.

"What do you think of all of this, Jayla?" Will questioned suddenly.

Mearing looked at Lennox quizzically, but Jayla scoffed.

"I think Optimus is blinded. Sentinel will betray us all; which is part of the reason I hate him. Another is, he is the one who decided to use the caste system on Cybertron. If it weren't for him and his fragging system…Optimus nor I would be here. However, I have to believe in my father." Jayla's eyes were shadowed.

"Begin!" Someone yelled, and the rest of the humans cleared the area.

Optimus took the Matrix of Leadership out and said, "It is time to awaken, old friend."

"What's that?" Mearing asked suspiciously.

"Matrix of Leadership," Sam said. "It revived Optimus in Egypt."

Mearing raised an eyebrow.

"And," Jayla added, smirking a little, "it's meant to power a ginormous machine that used to blow up suns. Sam earned it, Optimus has earned it, but Sentinel will never be worthy enough to wield it."

"And how do you know this?" Mearing questioned.

Jayla stared at her with wise eyes. "Because I know he will betray us, Director." She turned And faced the front.

"I know that Sentinel will hurt Optimus. It is inevitable."

Jayla closed her eyes and turned away as Optimus raised the Matrix over Sentinel.

He plunged the Matrix into Sentinel Prime's spark.

Jayla felt like her world was crashing down as she heard her sisters' angered voices._**Don't blame me!**_ She growled at them. _**I couldn't have stopped this. Nobody, not even you, Rose, could have.**_ She clenched her fists.

And she walked away, not seeing Sam look at her with worry.

~:~

She avoided Sentinel like the plague.

Whenever he entered a room, she'd leave it. Whenever he accidently move closer to her in the Autobot hangar, she'd go into her alt mode and drive away, her wolves following.

But when Optimus requested Jayla be a guard for Sentinel when he left the base for a while, she had no choice but to acquiesce to his request.

Her wolves went with her, because if she had to change into her human form, she'd be crippled without them-migraines would stay and stuff like that.

_Why do I have to be the one to guard him? Why couldn't Ironhide?_ She angrily thought, wanting to dash her servo on the ground in anger, but refraining from doing so. _Optimus is fragging crazy if he thinks I'll like the stupid Prime._

She felt amusement from her wolves as she kept an optic on Sentinel's fire-truck form, watching him drive to a park and stay parked there, his holoform dissipating.

And as children arrived, they climbed all over Sentinel, although their parents tried to dissuade them from doing so.

And when Jayla let her normal, non-driving holoform out with a book, a picture book, and asked their parents if she could read the kids a story, she didn't notice the mirror on Sentinel readjusting to watch her.

And she never even noticed that fact when the kids and their parents left.

Even if she had…she couldn't have done anything about it.

And she still couldn't stand the Prime.


	25. Chapter 25

_Okay…I have no idea where this chapter went. I think the whole Chicago thing is being prolonged a little, yeah, but I wanted a little humor before the bloodshed and tears…and it might not be humor in the strictest sense, but oh well. _

_~:~_

Her comm. link buzzed, signaling a call was coming in.

Jayla kept on driving…then she screeched to a stop as she heard was Sam said.

"_They want Sentinel! Sentinel Prime is the key! You gotta keep him safe!"_

Instead, Jayla knew.

She had known all along.

As she drove in, she saw Sentinel aiming his Cosmic Rust Cannon. Or whatever it was called.

"No!" She yelled, shoving Ironhide out of the way, barely missing the missile.

She felt her spark thrum in her chassis as, in slow motion, Skids and Mudflap jumped onto Sentinel.

Sentinel just shot Mudflap, making Skids pause in fear and rage.

And then madness and pain consumed him as he yowled and launched himself at Sentinel, Jayla frozen as she remembered…

"_No! Megatron, you won't kill (static)!"_

"_Step aside, __**Princess**__," Megatron hissed, "or I will kill you. And your precious spark-twin will go mad with rage."_

"_If you kill (static) than you will have to kill me!" Shadowdusk replied, her voice strong._

_Megatron laughed cruelly._

"_He's a traitor, Shadowdusk." A pause…and Shadowdusk screamed as (Blank) shoved a fallen Autobot's weapon through her chassis, though not her spark. "And you are dead."_

_Megatron fired._

And then she blinked her optics, getting rid of the ghosts of her past on Cybertron. Gritting her dentas, she aimed, but saw a bullet streaking towards her.

And for the second time as a Cybertronian, she felt the insane pain of an Energon bullet inside her protoform.

And she screamed.

Thankfully it wasn't a Rust bullet; it would have killed her, a thousand more times painfully.

Sentinel Prime grabbed her limp form and dragged it with him.

And she held a servo to the wound in her chassis, although it thankfully was not near her spark. She allowed herself to slip back into her human form, her wolves seamlessly entering her mind once again. And he held her in his servo once more, as she clutched her wound, which (thankfully) was only sluggishly bleeding.

And then she slipped into an uncomfortable unconsciousness.

~:~

_She stood at the center, the place of her 'birth'. Her first one._

"_Father," she said, "Will I die again?"_

"_No, not yet, my child." Primus, in physical appearance, was taller than Optimus. Then he shrank to about Optimus' height and said, "Sentinel Prime has disobeyed the vows of a Prime. And in Optimus' blindness…I fear it may be too late."_

"_No," Shadowdusk whimpered. "I won't allow it to be! I may have warned him, but he didn't know! He may have been blinded, but it is understandable! Please, Father, I can-"_

_Primus raised a servo and smiled kindly at his daughter._

"_Relax…or is it 'chill' in your current world?"_

_Shadowdusk let a snicker come out of her._

"_It's chill, Dad." Using 'Dad' made her…less anxious. _

"_Alright. The chill, Shadowdusk. I can't believe you're worried I'd destroy that place. I'm totally-"_

"_Uh…Dad? What in Unicron's spit are you doing?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I heard you use Terran teen linguistics. Why?"_

"_Well, I was bored so I decided to, while watching over you and your sisters, go on YouTube and watch some…things. I have to admit, Ryan Higa is clever."_

"_Oh, my gods. Are we just going to talk about famous YouTubers or are we going to talk about my current life-or-death situation?"_

_Primus looked thoughtful._

"_How about both? First the funny stuff, then the serious life or death stuff."_

_Shadowdusk weighed her options. If she decided to do the first, she'd have to know how long she could stay._

"_How long can I stay?" Yeah, she was deciding to have a little fun._

"_Well, seeing as Sentinel still needs to heal you quickly…I'd say about five days here. It took about a week their time for two weeks here. Like a week there on Terra, two here."_

_Shadowdusk vented._

"_Never mind. I think I'd rather be serious." She moved around her father._

_Then she turned to him._

"_Who did I die to defend?"_

_Primus looked uneasy._

"_I…do not wish for you to be angry at me. Please, leave it alone. It will come to you in time."_

_Shadowdusk balled up her servos._

"_WHY CAN'T I GET A SERIOUS ANSWER? WHY CAN'T YOU TELL ME?!" She yelled, and Primus looked down._

"_I'm sorry," he gently said. "I don't want you to hate me."_

"_Dad," she said softly, "why would I hate you?" She let out a short laugh. "And what were those crystals for?"_

_Primus looked at her sharply._

"_Crystals? You mean the Fragments," he said, and Shadowdusk looked at him weirdly._

"_Fragments?" she questioned._

_Primus nodded._

"_They are Fragments of your natural power. Fragments that, once into your spark, will etch the complete language of the Primes on your body."_

"_Like Optimus," she said, her optics widening. He did have symbols, tiny ones, decorating his faceplates and servos. Probably his protoform, too, but ever since that night…well…she wouldn't ask him. Yet. Maybe not ever. _

"_Indeed, but yours will not only do that, but you will look a little different, __**Lady Prime.**__ Your Fragment is unique." Primus hesitated to share the next piece of information. "It will grant you the power of connecting to Unicron and your darker aspects. Once the Fragment is one with your spark, Shadowdusk Pax" inside she glowed at hearing that, as technically she was, in human terms, married to Optimus (while she carried the title 'Lady Prime', she wasn't exactly sure about using that title given to Primus' followers…and unfortunately she didn't exactly __**have **__a surname, and she wasn't about to ask her own dad to call her by her human last name. So Pax was…good. The details between her and Optimus hadn't exactly been discussed) "there is no going back. Your sisters' Fragments, however, entitle them to a level of power previously unattainable. There is one extra, should she choose to accept it, for your wolves' Alpha, Mikaela Banes."_

_Shadowdusk saw her wolves materialize, and smiled at them when they told her that they were so happy._

"_Your Scraplets are safe with Mikaela. And, Shadowdusk…" Shadowdusk lifted her optics from her delightful wolves. "Tell Snowdrift and Mikaela I send my regards to them, and perhaps they should move to the Arctic."_

_Her vents shut off for a second, then went back on._

"_WHAT?! THEY'RE TOGETHER?!"_

"_No…I just figured Mikaela would be better protected by Snowdrift, as you will be in the middle of an upcoming struggle."_

"_Against who, Dad?"_

_Primus looked at her gravely._

"_Against humanity."_


	26. Chapter 26

_I've decided to make Que just 'Que' and not Wheeljack, because I'm a fan of the Transformers Prime Wheeljack and think he shouldn't have been put in the movies as a SCIENTIST of all things._

_~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~_

Jayla opened her now human eyes and winced at the white painted room.

Suddenly, she saw the tv in the room flick on, and instantly her heart seemed to stop.

She knew what was happening.

"Oh, no," Carly's voice whispered.

"_-as a single rocket lifted from this hidden military base. As of yet, nobody knows what it is, or where it's going,"_ a reporter said.

Jayla sat up, her heart thudding. She looked at Carly, whose hands were over her mouth.

And then, she noticed a jet.

She wanted to scream-she really did.

Because she knew where that jet was headed, and she knew why.

The jet was Starscream, headed for the ship the Autobot Wreckers that appeared on earth (Leadfoot, Wheeljack, and Bulkhead) along with a scientist Autobot named Que.

And all of the Autobots were in there.

She saw the rocket blast into the side of the ship. Her breath froze.

Then…

Unimaginable agony seemed to splice her heart.

She didn't know how long she thrashed and screamed for. She didn't know how long it took her to make her arms bleed as she continuously raked her nails down her arms.

She felt mindless agony…and realized…

…_her sisters could as well._

Nikki, Naomi, and Sunny.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

After what seemed like an eternity, she slowly dragged herself back to consciousness and realized she was in Carly Spencer's lap for comfort.

As her muddled mind began to remember everything, all she did was let out another heartbroken sob.

Optimus Prime was dead. Or he'd violently shut his feelings off from her senses, to where she thought him dead.

Either way…the future for Jayla felt dull and colorless.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"Oh no," Carly hissed when she realized Jayla was awake. And at the worst time too.

Even Carly had figured out what was happening (Since Gould, on the way to one of his properties, since they had to wait for Jayla to heal, told Carly all of his plan). The jack $$ was going to pay.

And when Jayla started thrashing and screaming, she realized that a Cybertronian bond might drag her to the depths.

She honestly hoped that Jayla would die. She didn't hate Jayla…but it was because if anyone knew what Sentinel had planned for the young woman (other than Gould and Soundwave, who actually wasn't all that bad. He was just following orders because his symbionts, which were like Jayla's wolves, would be killed if he didn't. Laserbeak had to carry out Gould's orders. And the pain of losing a symbiont is akin to that of losing a sparkmate [in Cybertronian terms], like Soundwave already had. And Gould was sadistic and merciless and uncaring. Soundwave said he was unable to do anything YET)…they'd be hard pressed to remain calm.

Let's put it this way. Even MEGATRON had more honor than Sentinel in this regard.

If Sentinel succeeded…Carly would kill herself to kill Sentinel.

Carly held Jayla down until she stopped screaming and instead was brokenly sobbing.

Eventually letting Jayla fall asleep, Carly had to carry the redhead (who, surprisingly, was lighter than a fragging feather. Then again, it might not have been healthy since the female had barely had any food, liquid or not, since she had been driven by Sentinel to the 'safe house') to Soundwave's alt mode, who in turn refrained from making comments about getting the femme's blood on him.

One of Gould's private planes (one that could hold Soundwave and didn't have that $$ of a male in it) flew off, and Laserbeak was back with his master.

Soundwave told Laserbeak something in Cybertronian, and Laserbeak seemed to settle down, his one optic turning an amber color. Not quite red, not quite yellow.

And then he was off, flying away from the group.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Sunny woke up on her half-brother Will's lap, curled in the fetal position.

"Sorry, Will," she said, her voice scratchy and broken.

Will attempted to shrug it off.

"Jayla would kill me if I didn't help you, little sis." He grinned a little weakly at her. "How are your sisters?"

Sunny sniffed. "Jayla's hurting, as we all are. Bee could still be alive, just shielding himself from us." Her voice was dull. Then she said, "Nikki and Naomi had just spark-mated with Ratchet and Ironhide-I forget who was with who-so they are obviously in plenty of pain, Jayla's just in more pain, seeing as she's the eldest of us and quite possibly the strongest." Sunny took a deep breath. "She'll be the one more effected than any of us."

"Will she go crazy?" Will quietly asked.

Sunny met his gaze solemnly.

"It's entirely fragging possible she might, Will. We're just going to have to be patient." Sunny took another deep breath. "We need to stay strong for her sake and pray that Jayla will be safe." A look of grim determination appeared on her face. "We need to kick Sentinel Prime's aft and make him regret ever coming to Earth and messing with the Prime Princesses." A dark grin lit her face.

"We need to make the stupid aft-hole pay."

Will grinned right back at her.

"I love the way you-"

He shrieked when he saw the flying metal bird that Sam had said he saw.

"Soundwave says Red-Flame-Girl and Gould's-Girl-That-Cube-Boy-Mates-With are on their way to-" Laserbeak began, but Sunny cut him off.

"Chicago."

Her voice was filled with dread.

"What's wrong?" Will asked, worry obvious in his eyes.

Sunny was pale.

"For a few years, Rose Sapphire has been seeing Chicago, burning," she explained. "Or…remnants of Chicago. And it was sort of miniaturized, seeing as the scene was in a snow globe."

A tingle of dread was filling Will.

"We have to leave," he said, urgency clear in his tone.

"Why? What's wrong?" Sunny asked, a little panicked. Will's daughter Annabelle had been brought onto the base.

Will looked directly at Sunny.

"Because I have a feeling we'll be needed," he simply stated, that tingle of dread still crawling up his spine.

Sunny nodded, her face a mask of determination.

Will knew she was hurting, though…and felt horrible because he knew he was only thinking of Jayla…and sorrow because he didn't know if he'd get there in time to save her.

~:~:~:~:~

_Okay, as you all know, Jayla and Optimus did sparkmate. So…_

_I am asking you all, on my page, to pick the name of Jayla's sparkling (but her sparkling won't make an appearance until AFTER the end of Project: Hela. _

_Please vote on her name! Poll will close soon!_


	27. Chapter 27

Jayla felt emotionally drained.

First, Chromedusk was snatched by her traitor of a sister. Then, Sentinel Prime kills Optimus Prime…her sparkmate.

And she felt…numbed.

She felt…nothing.

And that bothered her.

She opened her eyes and met Carly's eyes.

"Hi," she was able to whisper.

"Hi," Carly replied, looking sick for some reason.

"What's wrong?" Jayla asked, her hollow voice making Carly flinch.

"Sentinel Prime wants to force a sparkbond with you," Carly quickly said, and Jayla was stumped for a few seconds.

Then she realized what the woman had just said.

"What?" she questioned, her emerald eyes narrowing dangerously. "Over my silent spark will he do such a thing!"

"And Laserbeak has gone and told your sister Sunny about where we are, Sentinel's plans, and just what's going to happen," Carly admitted. "And Gould-our kidnapper…well, my kidnapper-he told me everything." Carly shuddered.

Jayla nodded.

"Are we in Chicago?" Jayla dully asked, and Carly nodded.

Jayla honestly couldn't dredge up enough feeling for this.

A new wave of sorrow crashed into her, her head bowing under the force of it.

Her shoulders shook, her eyes stung…she was so sick of this.

Fighting for survival…actually…she was just sick of life in general.

"I want to die," she said aloud, her hollow voice remaining unanimated.

"Don't say things like that!" Carly protested. "Come on, you have to car about something! Um, did you know your brother died during Egypt?"

That roused Jayla from her previous state of hollowness.

"WHAT?" Carly's eyes widened. "WHY DIDN'T THAT SELFISH, IDIOTIC, OAF CALLED SAM FREAKING TELL ME? OR MIKAELA?"

Carly shuddered when she realized that, while saying something that was a potential explosion, she'd given ammo to Jayla to pitch a fit…

…then again, it was better than nothing.

~:~

Then Sentinel came and activated the pillars.

That's where Jayla's greatest nightmare began.

Kara entered the area they were in, holding a quaking Chromedusk. Instantly, the chained Jayla began resisting.

"LET HER GO!" She yelled at Sentinel, real fear in her voice, her bravado gone. Her head was bleeding from something the fire user couldn't remember, her mouth was dry and her arms ached.

She was pretty much helpless.

"SENTINEL! I'LL DO ANYTHING! EXCEPT SPARK-BOND WITH YOU!" Jayla desperately screamed.

Sentinel scoffed.

"I'm not a fool, Miss Witwicky. Spark-bond with me before or after she dies, I couldn't care less," the Prime said.

He turned to Kara, who looked at Jayla for a few seconds, as if trying to tell her something.

Jayla couldn't tell, though.

"Please," Jayla said, but Sentinel shook his helm.

"I gave you your chance, Miss Witwicky. Now she pays the price. Fire."

Kara closed her optics and shot.

Jayla sobbed, hanging limply.

"Now, Miss Witwicky…change."

Jayla changed into her Prime Princess form. She couldn't save herself. Her inner flames were weaker than ever. She'd…finally done it. She'd given up/

She turned her sensors off so that she could feel and see nothing.

She focused on her spark.

And then she felt nothing.

Her spark, even if she had retreated into her own mind and was only feeling the beat of her spark, would have changed its pace even if she had kept her body in a stasis-like state.

Curiously, she reopened the sensors and onlined her optics to find Carly standing at her helm…as she was currently crumpled on the ground, her protoform showing.

Carly cleared her throat.

"Perhaps you should put on your armor," she suggested, and Jayla sat up and flinched when she saw Megatron.

"I only saved you because of that human," he growled, flicking a dismissive digit toward Carly. "I will kill you some cycle."

But his threats were empty.


	28. Chapter 28

She couldn't help but glare at the Decepticon.

"What, are you a peacekeeper now?" Jayla questioned. Megatron glared at her.

"Silence, Earth-scum." Jayla fought a snort as she put her armor back on.

"Can you work your mojo with your fire?"

Jayla shook her head. "It's weak. I think when…when…when Optimus…left, he too my flames with him."

A sad smile appeared on Carly's face.

"Look outside," she invited.

Jayla did…and her spark suddenly stopped.

"I…HE IS SO DEAD FOR PUTTING ME THROUGH THAT SCRAP!" Jayla yelled, her flames roaring into existence.

Carly snickered.

"Well?" Megatron questioned.

"Um…I guess you could go fight…" Uncertainty laced Jayla's voice.

Megatron made a huffing sound and stomped away.

Jayla turned to Carly, a look of amazement upon her face.

"What?" Carly questioned.

"What did you tell him?"

"That he was going to be Sentinel's witch, but with a capital B."

"Ooh." Jayla's eyes suddenly widened as her inner flames once again died down.

"Jayla?" Carly asked worriedly.

"Fire. Needs a jumpstart…"

~:~

In the broken city of Chicago, a blonde haired, grey eyed daughter of Athena named April walked down a street.

She grumbled, "Why do I have to save her aft CONSTANTLY?"

**Stop complaining**! Sunny snapped. **The head of our ENTIRE family is asking us to do her a fragging favor.**

_BUT SHE ALMOST GAVE UP!_

**SO? SHE WAS SCARED, SHE KNEW SHE'D DIE IF SENTINEL RAPED HER! PRIMUS, SHE FRAGGING WANTED TO DIE! NOW GET THE PACKAGE AND I WILL SHADOW TRAVEL TO YOUR LOCATION AND HERS!**

_Ugh. Fine._ April sighed.

She went into a building and grabbed something off the shelves.

"Excuse me, cashier?"

A man came out from under the counter.

"Yes?"

"Is this flammable? And can I have those lighters?"

The cashier nodded, sweat beading on his brow.

April grabbed the lighters and several bottles of vodka.

"I'd wish you a cheery day, sir, but we all may end up dead by the end of it! Cheerio!"

April skipped out of the store.

The man started to cry.

~:~

"Here," April snapped, shoving the alcohol at her sister. "Drink up and feel the burn."

Jayla gave her sister a glare as she drank the first bottle.

Then she said, "Let's go kick some Cybertronian afts."

April cheered sarcastically. "Yay! I can't wait to see you get pummeled!"

Sunny facepalmed and glared at April.

"Can you be any more insensitive, you idiot?!"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure you want to hear it." April looked at Jayla, a teasing grin on her face. "So you knew you'd die if he…well, you know?"

Jayla nodded.

"I wanted to." Her optics stung. "Let's go."

April sighed, but acknowledged the order.

~:~

She used her inner flame to scorch up a rogue 'Con.

She threw everything she had into the battle, saving what was left of the humans in the city.

Then she found herself standing next to Optimus while he fought Sentinel and she fought Shockwave.

"Next time you pretend to die, I will kill you, Optimus," she called over the sound of Autobots and 'Cons fighting.

Optimus said, his voice filled with sarcasm, "I apologize for trying to convince humanity that Decepticons will never leave their planet alone!"

Jayla was so stunned at his use of sarcasm she faltered for a second, but shot the oncoming Shockwave.

"Wow, you used sarcasm! You're forgiven!" she called, and Optimus growled as he tossed Sentinel away.

"Next time, don't let anybot or any human try to rape you so that you can join me in the Well of AllSparks, got it?"

Jayla shuddered. "Gotcha!" She changed her arm into an Energon sword and separated Shockwave's helm from the rest of his armored protoform.

~:~

Megatron stood before Optimus and Shadowdusk, his sword nowhere in sight after Sentinel died.

"What do you want, Megatron?" Optimus tiredly asked, his optics showing just how weary the Prime was.

"For you to kill me. It is what the humans want…and what I want."

Shadowdusk looked at him with sorrow.

"Why? You saved my life, and for that I am indebted to you," she began, but Megatron shook his helm.

"No. I owed you. I took your like on Cybertron, and I saved your life here. I wish to end this war." Megatron stared at Optimus.

Shadowdusk felt…shame well up in her.

"Very well. But your life is Optimus' to take if he so desires."

Megatron looked at Optimus.

"Please take my spark."

"Is it truly what you wish?" Optimus asked, and Megatron nodded.

Optimus stabbed him in the spark. Shadowdusk knew Optimus only felt guilt as his brother/friend offlined, his red optics going dark.

The other Autobots looked weary, the Prime Princesses standing behind them. Shadowdusk vented.

"Megatron wished to die by Optimus' servos. He wanted this war between us to end. Optimus knew the risks of doing such a deed, yet he did it because Optimus, as Prime, has to make the difficult choices." Shadowdusk suddenly felt….drained.

"And he is our leader," she finished, before turning back to her human form. Her wolves had been with her the whole time, acting both as protection and a comfort in Jayla's mind as she had fought.

She staggered away from the site of two corrupted Cybertronian leaders' bodies.

~:~

"Here you go, Miss Jackson. One more night of observation and you'll be A-OK and ready to leave," a peppy nurse said, smiling at the young soldier as she gave her food and painkillers (which Jayla was secretly hoarding).

"Thanks, Nurse Kathy," she said gratefully. Nurse Kathy smiled kindly. She began to leave, but stopped and turned around again.

"Oh, and you had a visitor when you were sleeping last night. His name was James Savoy, know of him?"

Jayla felt dread.

"Yes, is he here now?"

"Yes, can we send him here?"

"Sure," Jayla stated, and she called the front desk.

Nurse Kathy beamed and left as the military mercenary entered her hospital room.

~:~

"What are you doing here, Miss Witwicky?" Savoy questioned, and the woman in the hospital bed that was playing with her fork did not answer him.

"Did you know Optimus Prime is facing expulsion from Earth?" Savoy went on. The woman snorted.

"I doubt you'd be able to do that. But hey, I know what's going to happen," she said with a careless shrug.

Savoy raised his eyebrows.

This female had apparently met Optimus Prime because of her brother and had apparently gone to another planet.

And she was also a demigod, and one with fire as a weapon at that. Nothing in her file had told him that she had premonition in her arsenal as well.

"And what's that?" Savoy questioned.

The female burst out laughing.

"You," she snickered, "are seriously dumb if you think I'm going to tell you anything."

Growling, he slammed his fist down on her leg.

Her broken leg.

He watched as she hissed in a breath, but that was it.

"And anyway, I should have warned everyone about this years ago. I knew about Chicago."

Silence.

"I lost a sister in there, you know." His tone was conversational.

Jayla snorted.

"You think losing your sister is bad?" she hissed at him, her green eyes suddenly burning (no pun intended, not literally meant), and flames writhing inside her pupil. "I lost my ENTIRE family on Cybertron." She suddenly kicked him in the jaw.

"I lost my life to a traitor, and got to watch my own spark-sister die in _agony._" She glared at Savoy, and when she blinked, a tremor of terror ripped through him.

He wasn't one to be terrified easily. But this freakish girl…she actually _terrified_ him right then.

Because her eyes were literally red. Her pupils had shrank, they were practically nonexistent. Her formerly green irises were now red…_blood_ red.

"I know what you're going through. I do," she said, and she swung her legs off of the bed, not heeding her broken one. "But what I want to know is why you are here," she finished.

"To tell you to get out of the city before the citizens come back. I'd think about what you owe the people." Savoy turned around, but her voice halted him.

"Liar. You came here to kill me."

Her voice was calm. No terror.

"It won't work. And thanks for the message, I've passed it along."

Savoy left the room.

~:~

Pain wracked Jayla's whole body.

Sunny snickered at her misfortune, then frowned when she saw Jayla reach under her pillow and bring out an Aspirin.

"Seriously?" Sunny questioned, her brows raised.

"What?" Jayla questioned. "I don't know when they're going to kick me out! Plus, they serve it with every meal."

When Jayla had first arrived, limping, to the hospital, they'd screamed, "EMERGENCY!" and immediately prepped her for surgery.

Apparently Sentinel Prime hadn't let those other idiots who'd worked for Gould take the bullet out, just disinfect the wound around it.

Add that with a broken leg (Jayla wasn't sure how she got that one) and an almost completely shattered wrist, they had to keep her in the ICU until she actually healed.

Add that to Savoy's visit, who'd broken her leg (more like re-broken) with a swift, well-placed hit, she'd been placed for another week.

Sunny grew somber.

"About that," Sunny began. "We, as in the Prime Princesses, have to make a statement. As our leader, we wish that to be you."

Jayla paled.

"I'll do my best," she said in a small voice.


	29. Chapter 29

"Calm down," Sunny soothed. Jayla was pale, her face completely white.

"But what if I mess up?" Jayla whispered. She was a soldier, not a fragging diplomat or valedictorian.

April bit off a chunk of her energy bar.

"Then we'll most likely be hunted down and then killed. Chin up, darling," April cheerfully said.

Sunny and Jayla sent the woman withering looks.

"Optimus will also be doing a speech. I think he's actually finishing his. Come on, the sooner it's done the faster you can slap Sam," Sunny said, smirking.

Jayla gulped and smoothed her dress down. She took a deep breath.

"All right. I got this." She left the room with shaky legs.

~:~

Jayla felt like she was getting married. Except with a bunch of reporters and no priest in sight (it would've been awkward even with a priest there…). Jayla scanned the entire vicinity and saw a few priests watching.

Fighting back a snort, she started walking down the aisle.

She was walking down the aisle, towards Optimus, and Jayla felt her breath catch at the sight of her Prime.

She took a deep breath and recalled Sunny's earlier statement.

"_The sooner it's done the faster you can slap Sam."_

Her lips twitched. Then she saw Sam in the front, along with Judy and Ron. And…she literally froze at the sight that awaited her.

_WHAT IN THE NAME OF UNICRON'S BLOOD WAS __**HEPHAESTUS**__ DOING THERE?! _

She spotted another man, one she felt a vague familiarity as she looked at him, then continued.

'_All I need is the flowers, an altar, and Primus to give me away, and a random priest to acceptably marry Optimus,'_ she thought as she finally got to the podium.

She felt amusement come from both her sisters and Optimus, and she reddened.

Surprisingly, she was more at ease now.

She cleared her throat, but nobody shut up.

She saw Sam lean over and engage in a deep lip-lock with Carly.

At that moment, she really felt the urge to just slap the scrap out of him.

"SAMUEL JAMES WITWICKY," she snapped, gathering everyone's attention, "if you withhold information about you dying ever again, I will personally kick you where the sun don't shine and make sure you have no children with Carly, got it?"

Silence.

Sam called, "Sorry, sis! You were sort of…well, busy at the moment on a ship in outer space!"

"True enough. Now," Jayla said, turning her attention to the people in front, "my name is Jayla Witwicky. I am human, well, a demigod-"

"A demigod? Daughter of who?" and eager voice called out.

Jayla leveled a cold glare at her biological father. "Hephaestus. And I am also an Autobot."

"So…were you lying?" another voice asked. Jayla snorted a little.

"If I had wanted to lie, then I would never have told you my father was Hephaestus," Jayla stated, her voice emotionless. Said god looked ashamed. "I am something known as a Prime Princess, a daughter of Primus." Jayla grimaced as her parents (Ron and Judy) looked at her with interest. "Primus is the Lord of Light and Order. I do obey human laws, as I was born human-my mother, Judy Witwicky-can attest to this fact. However, Prime Princesses have been gifted with specific powers we do not have a wish to share at this moment." Jayla took a deep breath and made a face.

"I am no good at this," she suddenly moaned. "I'm a fragging soldier! I simply fought the Decepticons and did my best to protect humanity! Honestly, can you blame us for remaining hidden? Chicago is a city, people! Yes, a lot of people died! And if it weren't for my stupid idiot of a half-brother, Samuel Witwicky, you all would be dead!"

"You claim that this 'Prime' is better than the one who betrayed you," a reporter challenged. "Care to tell us how?"

Optimus was about to speak, but Jayla snapped, over their bond, ~**This is **_**my**_** fight.~**

"I am the daughter of the Creator, niece of the Destroyer. As _Primes"_ she stressed the word "they are gifted with leadership. On Cybertron, we are not born great. I earned my title as Prime Princess. He earned his title as a PRIME by following the way of my father. Sentinel Prime, however, was a mistake that dearly cost us." Jayla closed her eyes. "You want to know how I know Optimus is better than Sentinel?"

The reporter nodded shakily, having lost his bravery he'd had before.

"Because I know, in my heart and my spark, that Optimus can be trusted. I would not have this feeling if he were untrustworthy. Optimus is my spark-mate." Jayla closed her eyes. "And I do not spark-mate with traitors to my Father."

"Impressive words for one so young," a priest said. "However, under the law-under our God-"

"I don't care about that," Jayla flatly said. The priests gasped. "I merely care what my Father thinks."

"Miss Witwicky, what exactly happened in Mission City? Actually, what brought the Autobots here?" the man who looked vaguely familiar and sitting in the front row asked.

She sighed. "It can't be helped." Confusion was set in. "Hm, LadiesMan217. Care to tell us?"

~:~

Sam gulped. He saw that look in her eye. Her sweet tone didn't fool him.

"Uh-"

He was cut off by Epps grabbing his collar and shoving him forward.

"Thanks, big bro," Jayla said, winking toward her half-sibling.

Epps waved it off. "No prob, lil' sis. Just one favor?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you get Lennox to stop sulking? He's angry at Sunny. Your sister, Sunny, because he doesn't want to man up and admit he loved you." Jayla flushed scarlet. She turned to the man in question, whose face was a sunset color.

"Stop sulking, and Samuel? Get up here."

Reluctantly, the mortal stepped up.

"Uh," he said, "I was hawking my grandfather's crap in my history classroom-"He was cut off both by people in the audience laughing and Jayla.

"IMBECILE!" Jayla snarled at him, whacking him on the head.

"Ow! Um, while I was hawking my grandfather's crap in my history classroom trying to get car funds, I had a pair of glasses that could save the world. Jayla here, who used to never get any sleep and would become a wolf every night because of a random curse on the first female child of Hephaestus, was the first to actually see the car I bought, who was Bumblebee. He was sent here to retrieve the glasses so they could find the AllSpark."

"And this AllSpark is what?"

Jayla cut in, Sam stepping back in relief.

"The AllSpark is what gave Cybertronians life, created by my Father, Primus. No specific details will be released at this time."

Grumbles of disappointment rumbled everywhere.

Sam stepped back up. "After Bee had found me, I flipped out, met the rest of them, nearly got killed a bunch of times, and then the AllSpark was…destroyed." Talk about being vague.

"How?" Someone urged.

Sam swallowed. "I shoved the AllSpark in Megatron's spark."

Jayla's eyes went downcast.

"But he was still alive!"

"Two shards remained. This is when Egypt also went down. Uh, I had a shard on my sweatshirt-"

"Which, apparently you tried to give to your girlfriend at the time," snickered Jayla. Unfortunately, everyone heard her.

"-and there was another one at NEST base," Sam said, ignoring his half-sister. "A Decepticon cat stole that shard-"

"So it was a cat burglar?" Snickers could be heard throughout the area.

Jayla examined her nails.

"If a vicious, one-eyes beast adequately named 'Ravage' that spat out another Decepticon that actually stole the shard is what you mean, then yes, it was a cat burglar. Shut up and wait for questions, got it?" Jayla snapped, her hand hovering near one of her concealed weapons.

Silence was her response.

"Good. Continue," she said, nodding to Sam.

He took a breath and continued. "I was taken hostage by the newly revived Megatron because the Director at that time, a man by the name of Theodore Galloway, was stupid enough to reveal where Megatron was buried, AND where the shard of the AllSpark was, and Megatron wanted me for something I can't talk about. Then Optimus died and we met a former Decepticon-"

"Wait!" a voice said, and Jayla looked for the person. Her face showed disappointment for some reason. "I thought Decepticons are always Decepticons!"

Jayla stepped up and gave Sam a water bottle she'd miraculously produced. "Incorrect," she said calmly. "There are 3 factions, one of which none of you have seen. The Decepticons, the Autobots, and the Neutrals. Sentinel Prime was an Autobot, yes, but he was basically the reason why we're here right now. He made a deal with a Decepticon and tricked us. He was a Decepticon. However, Decepticons like Jetfire had separate missions and probably tricked the Fallen-who we faced in Egypt-into allowing him to drop off the radar. Jetfire was an Autobot to his spark. And lastly, Ex-Decepticons like Soundwave and Barricade are known as Neutrals because they don't want to fight anymore. Sam, come up here and finish."

She let Sam take the podium again.

"Anyway…a few of us went to Egypt with Skids, Mudflap, and Bumblebee. Skids and Mudflap off-lined because of Sentinel. And there we faced the Fallen, an ex-Prime-"

"Another example of how a Prime can say, 'Frag the universe' and turn evil," Jayla added for those military types' benefit.

"-and I found something called the Matrix of Leadership which is an energy so profound it brought Optimus back to life as well. Finally, we're here. Oh, and Jayla was the one who blew up that volcano."

He hurried off the podium before Jayla could kill him.

~:~

Jayla took a trembling breath as questions assaulted her.

"ONE AT A TIME!" She finally bellowed.

The idiots that were the press shut up.

"Yes, we exist, okay? How hard is it to acknowledge the fact that we've kept you safe for _years?_ The same goes for demigods." She looked out at the crowd. "To be completely honest…I hate Hephaestus. He only spoke to me after he'd spoken to the rest of his kids, most of whom have already seen him. Now this is about the third time in my life I've seen him." She pointed to the front row. "But to cause complete chaos over something most of us don't even want to control…that's cruelty. So if you turn on us…I don't know what'll happen."

"Why would we turn on you?" a man called as Jayla walked away, Optimus behind her. She turned and looked at the camera, her face dead serious.

"Because you turned on the Avengers and then the demigods, correct? Why should we be any different?"

She turned away after that, not allowing them to see the small tears in her eyes she fought desperately against.

~:~

"So, Miss Witwicky, you are twenty-four?" the eager reporter asked. Jayla nodded.

"Yeah, I am."

"Daughter of Hephaestus?"

"Yes."

"Do you control fire?" the eager man asked. She lifted her hand and a small flame came out of it.

She lowered it a few seconds later.

"Yes, although it seems to be malfunctioning for some reason." Her anger wasn't directed at him, but he still heard it. "My apologies. I should figure out the power shortage later."

The reporter was quick to smile again.

"Ah. So what exactly happened during Mission City?" His face was eager. Jayla looked thoughtful.

"I turned into a kitsune for some reason. Never doing that again," she said, shuddering slightly.

"Why not?" the reporter curiously asked.

"Well, the kitsune was summoned because of the battle rage and was sucked into the nearest vessel at the time: Me. And kitsune aren't Greek; they're either Japanese or Chinese. Don't know which. It was murder on my mind," Jayla replied. "Trying to translate made both Nightwalker and Nightshadow angry, since the kitsune couldn't speak English."

"We've heard reports that Nightwalker and Nightshadow are wolves?" The reporter tentatively asked.

"Very true. However, in recent times, they are known to save my aft in a fight. Whether I'm shot or thrown out of a volcano, same thing."

"May I speak to one-or both-of them?" the reporter asked. Jayla paused for a minute, then looked at the reporter and nodded with a look of resignation.

"Very well. Watch my eyes."

The reporter did as was told and said, "Your eyes just turned lighter green."

'Jayla' huffed. "Males," she said scathingly. "You think you know everything. I'm Nightwalker, pleased to make your acquaintance." She dipped her head.

"Are you certain you're a wolf?" the reporter asked, and 'Jayla' looked amused.

Suddenly, he watched her eyes slit and gasped, dropping his pad and pencil in the ground.

She curled her lips, and her teeth, more jagged than anyone's, appeared.

"Oh," the reporter said in a small voice.

Nightwalker looked amused. "If I could change my human's pelt color it would not be this disparaging red. It doesn't suit her."

"Um…"

"Oh, forgive me. I'm being extremely rude." A laugh bubbled out of her. "What do you wish to ask a wolf? Hades knows I won't let Nightshadow out."

The reporter's curiosity got the best of him.

"Why not?"

"You'd be exhausted by the time you finished the interview, she's a severe Otaku. Even though we barely watched any anime." Nightwalker shrugged. "And she's really immature." The reporter looked like he was trying not to laugh. "I'm serious!" Nightwalker pouted. "And Jayla's always so serious, except when she's out with Optimus. Then she's nauseatingly cute." Nightwalker smirked at him.

The reporter pounced on that statement.

"So she is going out with Optimus?" he questioned, and she smirked and nodded.

"Totally." Nightwalker examined her nails. "Their chemistry is so…good! I think they'll fight at least once, but hey, all's fair in love and war, right?"

"Good point, though I think that was only for children," the reporter teased. Nightwalker grinned.

Then she blushed. "I forgot to ask you, pardon me, what's your name?"

"Chuck," he said, smiling at her. Then he looked at his notecards. "So, in your opinion, Nightwalker, what do you think of the Cybertronians?"

Nightwalker placed her elbows on her knees.

"I might be bias, since I do exist outside Jayla's body upon her turning into a Cybertron, but I don't mind it." Nightwalker smiled a fond smile. "She's happy. Cybertronians aren't simply metal. They feel, they love, they hate."

"Why did Optimus kill Megatron if some reports are to be believed and Megatron helped you?" Chuck asked, and he missed the anger flash across her face. Her viewers wouldn't.

"That is a difficult question, Chuck. Megatron asked Optimus to kill him, a mercy kill, I suppose. I don't know. But according to Cybertronian law-"

"But why couldn't he have had a trial?" Chuck asked. Nightwalker looked at him with an unreadable look on her face. "Optimus Prime was the judge, jury, and executioner! You can't honestly-"

"Chuck, remember a few years ago and evil villain named Loki attacked New York?" Nightwalker interrupted. Chuck nodded shakily (he'd done an interview with the scariest of all the Avengers: Black Widow). "Loki was taken back to his world-or realm-to face judgment. And that was only for murdering about…100 people. Megatron is, in human terms, a terrorist, a genocidal maniac who killed off most of Cybertron's citizens to where it was virtually uninhabitable. Even if we _had_ had a trial for him, the end result would have been the same. Optimus chose to carry out his sentence earlier _because_ he saved my life. Megatron was lucky." Nightwalker thought for a second. "Ah, he saved OUR lives. Sorry." She smiled sheepishly.

"A few more questions, Nightwalker. What does a Prime Princess entail?"

"Doing our duty to save others," Nightwalker said. "With Jayla and Nightshadow before we met the bots, life was our hell. Now that we have a father that actually stays and doesn't leave, we're happy. Our purpose is to protect and guard life, mostly Cybertronian life, but human life as well."

"So you can turn into a Cybertronian?"

"Aye."

"Intriguing. A couple more questions and then you can go." Chuck looked at his sheet. "According to you, your father is the Lord of Light and Order. And he can interfere with his children?"

Nightwalker's brow furrowed. "Free will is one of the things I believe my father thinks highly of."

"What about the gods' Ancient Laws?"

"I don't think they exist at all," Nightwalker flatly said. "I sincerely doubt that some Ancient Laws stop you from interfering with your child. It'd be a messed up world. Besides, it could just be a ploy Zeus uses to keep his power in."

"So you don't like the godly side of your family?" Chuck asked.

Nightwalker huffed. "Don't get me wrong, we worship the gods. Jayla's sisters are all demigods. So…sort of. Is that all of the questions?"

Chuck nodded. "Thank you, Nightwalker. Tell Miss Witwicky I said thank you as well?"

Nightwalker grinned.

"Of course," she replied, giving an odd laugh. "What kind of wolf would I be if I didn't tell my friend?"

She stood up. Chuck stood as well. "Again, Nightwalker, thank you for talking with me. I, and the rest of the world, thanks you."

Nightwalker waved her hand. "Ah, it's no problem. I actually enjoyed this. I don't know why she was so freaked out about earlier when she was talking to everyone."

"Maybe because Primus could have been watching?" Chuck suggested, and Nightwalker looked at him sharply.

"Perhaps. I must take my leave. Thank you, Mr. Chuck. It pleases me that even a wolf has a voice." She turned…and smoothly shifted into a dark-furred wolf.

Said wolf just walked away on all fours, swishing her tail demurely.

~:~

Optimus rubbed Jayla's back.

"Optimus, I think my father was at the conference," she stated, "in a humanoid form. I though I saw someone I thought was familiar, but I couldn't place him. Is that okay?" She was worried her father would be angry.

"No, Jayla, I don't-"

Jayla heard nothing else, as she blacked out.

~:~

_Hey, everyone! One of my longest chapters! I have decided that this entire story will be about 32, maybe 33 chapters. Yes, it's almost over. HOWEVER! There will be a fourth installment. As well as a Misc. story of Jayla's and her kids traipsing everywhere. So, unless there is a fifth movie, the fourth installment will be the last one. Of the Curious Demigod Series._

_Onto another piece of business: please choose the name for their sparkling! They will have more than one sparkling, but hey. I want everyone to get a chance to put in their opinions! On my profile page there is a poll, okay? So please select the name. _

_And finally, if his chapter sucks, I am honestly sorry. I pulled an all-nighter on this one and only got a couple hours of sleep. Next chapter we'll see Primus again, and maybe a little bit of humor. Please read and review!_


	30. Chapter 30

_Hi, all. Just wanted to say this-I am not a fan of Justin Bieber, so those who are, there is a bit of Justin Bieber bashing…seriously, I really have NEVER liked Justin Bieber…_

_~:~_

"A rogue 'Con's been sighted. Jayla, Ironhide, Optimus, you three will be the chasers."

"At least we're not _Tai Chi Chasers,"_ Jayla said, sitting up on the couch she was reclining on.

Blank expressions from everyone…

"Forget it. Any information excluding the fact that it's a 'rogue 'Con'?" Jayla questioned, and Ironhide growled.

"It's Chromeblaster, so not really." Ironhide pointed out. Jayla shrugged.

"Ready?"

The other two nodded and transformed, Jayla doing the same.

~:~

"And for other news, several Autobots had escaped from their confinement and are chasing a car down, a car that we can only assume is a 'Con." The reporter turned to his partner, his expression curious. "Do they even know the government issued a warrant to shoot all rogue Transformers?"

The other female shrugged. "I don't know."

~:~

"Scrap," Will snarled as he opened the mail.

"What?" Epps hissed. Will shoved the mail toward him.

Epps' eyes widened.

"Scrap, someone call Optimus!" he yelled, all of the bots wondering what was going on.

"What's wrong?" Leadfoot asked, confused. Wheeljack grabbed a grenade.

"Are 'Cons coming?" he questioned.

"No, worse," Will stated grimly. "NEST is supposed to be locked down. An order was issued to shoot all Autobots _or_ 'Cons on sight if the Autobots disobeyed the order."

"It gets worse," Epps admitted grudgingly. "The order was issued…a whole week ago."

~:~

Jayla drove faster, her wolves wanting to jump out.

Then she transformed to her bipedal mode, jumping over Optimus and Ironhide, and tried to activate her fire.

For the first time ever…it failed her.

She remembered what her father had told her prior to this, right after the meeting.

_~:~_

_FLASHBACK_

"_Jayla," Primus said, hugging his daughter._

"_You were there." She simply stated._

"_Indeed, daughter."_

"_You called me by my human name," she whispered, and Primus nodded again. _

"_You must get your powers back to 100%. The crystal must be used as a last resort."_

"_What made my powers short out, exactly?"_

"_You nearly allowed Sentinel to kill you."_

"_I wanted to join Optimus in the Well of AllSparks."_

"_Jayla…you cannot avoid your destiny!"_

"_I'M NOT TRYING TO, OKAY? The last thing I heard as Sentinel shot me was JUSTIN BIEBER and JUSTIN BIEBER was playing when Optimus died, okay?" That was true. For some reason, 'As long as you love me' had been playing both times. Once on the intercom in the old NEST facility, and another time on the TV. "You'd die if you heard JUSTIN BIEBER!"_

_Primus looked thoughtful._

_His optics dimmed. Then he shuddered a few minutes later._

"_Okay, got it. I wish I could claw my servos off now… Anyway, you really ought to practice more often…"_

"_I know, okay?" Jayla was weary all of a sudden. "I'll do my best. If worst comes to worst, what color crystal should I look for?"_

"_The color of your pendant. When you find me again, my child, you will be more than simply a daughter of the Light. You will be a daughter of the darkness as well."_

_Jayla nodded. "Thank you, Father."_

_She waited for the dream to dissipate._

"_Jayla…" Jayla turned back to her father. "Try to patch things up with Hephaestus. He loves you."_

_Before Jayla could snap something else, the dream cut off._

_~:~_

She growled as she let her wolves out.

"CHROMEBLASTER, HALT!"

The 'Con did so.

"Transform slowly." Chromeblaster did, holding his servos up.

"Please don't shoot! I surrender!"

"Primus, I never get to shoot anything anymore…" Ironhide sulked.

Suddenly, they were being shot at.

Upon reflex, she shoved the Con down and told her wolves mentally to shield him.

She felt the peppering of…human bullets!

"Why are they-" Jayla cut herself off.

_Jayla, get out of there! They've been told to shoot at ALL Transformers!_

_**WHAT?!**_

_JUST DO IT!_

Jayla growled.

"CHROMEBLASTER, TRANSFORM AND FOLLOW US, GOT IT? PRIME, LEAD THE WAY HOME! I'LL BE IN BIKE MODE, MY SYMBIONTS THE SAME! IRONHIDE, YOU'LL BE BEHIND PRIME, I'LL BE BEHIND CHROMEBLASTER! WE NEED TO HURRY BACK TO BASE!"

Confusion was on all of their faceplates.

"DO IT OR WE'LL BE PILES OF SCRAP!"

Instantly, they complied with her orders.

She waited until Chromeblaster had transformed back into his ground form to transform back.

All of them sped down the highway, breaking all laws of known traffic, all the while being chased.

~:~

Chromeblaster was taken to the brig.

Shadowdusk (Jayla) was the jailor (though all she did was recharge), and she 'watched' Chromeblaster.

Thankfully, nobody came into the brig except if they were wanting to interrogate or add another 'Con to the brig.

It was clear to Shadowdusk and the other bots that Shadowdusk was the most reassuring and also the most threatening, seeing as she was an ages-old legend come to life.

Finally, when she exited her recharge, she stepped into Chromeblaster's cage.

"Are you a Praxian?"

Her question was soft.

Chromeblaster looked at her, his amber optics showing his shock.

"What of it?"

"Did you know an Autobot was the one who gave that military strategy to Megatron?"

Shock flared in Chromeblaster's optics.

"Of course, that Autobot at that time was a Decepticon. He was a very trusted 'Con-one of Megatron's inner circle." She leaned forward. If Chromeblaster wanted to, since they hadn't disabled his weapons, he could've killed her. "He was very devastated when he noticed Starscream and his Seekers bombing Praxus."

"His designation," Chromeblaster growled.

"His designation," Shadowdusk replied, "is Prowl."

The Praxian looked shocked.

"He earned his place, at Optimus' right servo." Shadowdusk lifted her lip-plates into a smile.

"I thought you were at Optimus' right servo," Jazz said, appearing with a couple Energon cube. She turned to Jazz and shook her helm.

"Nah, I'm at his left servo," she stated, and Jazz laughed.

She allowed her optics to drift back to Chromeblaster.

"What I'm trying to say is that we don't treat you like an enemy if you really want to join us. If you want to strike out on your own, go right ahead."

Shadowdusk exited the cage and grabbed both Energon cubes and passed them to Chromeblaster.

"Megatron destroyed your home, but we are offering you a new one, Chromeblaster," she said, and Chromeblaster stared up at her. "As long as you play nice with the humans for a while, I'll ask my sparkmate if you can help me with something."

Chromeblaster looked confused.

"Your sparkmate?"

Surprise flashed over her faceplates as she looked at Jazz and the other prisoners, who also looked confused.

"OH, COME ON!" Her cry was heard by the soldiers on the other end of the entire base. "SERIOUSLY?!"

Jazz saw the coolant leaking out of her optics as she covered her face plates with her servos.

"Oh, come on, don't be too dramatic, ya gorgeous femme," he said, patting her shoulder caps.

She stopped 'crying' and nodded.

"You're right." She turned to Chromeblaster and bluntly told him, "My sparkmate is Optimus Prime."

Shock was on every prisoner's faceplates.

~:~

"It was hilarious," Jayla snickered as she ate normal human food. "There was definite shock in their optics! I thought ALL of the Decepticons would've known-"

She cut herself off, dropping her roll.

She abruptly got up and practically ran out, anger on her face.

~:~

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" She yelled, exiting the compound in her humanoid form, seeing Chromelight about to be attacked.

"Jayla Witwicky!" A person called. "We demand you relinquish your human form!"

Jayla raised an eyebrow.

"And why," she icily asked, "would I do that?"

"You aren't human, you are-"

"I AM TERRAN, YOU IDIOTS! I MAY BE A TRANSFORMER, BUT I HAVE FLESH AND BONE! I HAVE HUMAN DNA! I AM A DEMIGOD! FOR THE LOVE OF PRIMUS-"

"Silence, Jayla Leia Witwicky. You are alien, so we politely demand you and your freakish friends leave Earth," a prim voice said, and Jayla stilled.

"You really shouldn't have said that," Chromelight murmured as a dark look came over Jayla.

"What did you just call me?" she asked, her inner flame suddenly climbing higher.

"A freak," the prim man said, and Jayla lost complete control of her body to the flames inside her.

Awakening a far more deadly foe that had ain dormant inside her, sealed inside her until her self-exile.


	31. Chapter 31

_Hi…again. Just wanted to tell you that since Primus is technically male and so is Unicron, I've decided to make Unicron…well, you'll see. So Unicron is…NOT CANON in this series. And this chapter should be funny…so read and review, por favor._

~:~

Chromelight watched as flames rose all around Jayla, completely obscuring her.

"How dare you," a voice said, and someone stepped out of the writhing flames.

Chromelight was frozen, recalling something she'd been told by Nyx.

~:~

_FLASHBACK_

"_There was the Phoenix Queen," Nyx told a much younger Sunny. "She was sealed into a young child. Until the time came for her to unveil herself, she would block herself from appearing."_

"_But…who is the Phoenix Queen, Lady Nyx?" Sunny wondered._

_A draft ruffled her hair, Nyx's way of messing up her hair._

"_A goddess. She is the Protector of the Fire of Olympus. Essentially, she is the fire. However, she will only become free when the Fire comes into the form of a demigod child." Nyx smiled. "The Phoenix Queen simply manipulates fire. But be warned-she is the embodiment of anger. Her vessel will be bereft of the power necessary to protect the ones she loves, and then a war will begin."_

"_Lady Nyx…will the Phoenix leave her vessel?"_

"_Yes. And when that happens…the Phoenix Queen will certainly be angry. The Phoenix Queen can only be summoned by its vessel. Whoever is her vessel…I feel nothing but pity for them. I certainly hope it's a worthy candidate."_

"_So can the power of the Queen be used by the vessel?"_

"_No, of course not! The power of the Phoenix Queen is reserved for the Phoenix Queen alone. The vessel is just that-a vessel for the Queen. The Queen may take over the vessel, but only when she has finally snapped. And when that happens, I pray to the Creator that the Queen is merciful."_

_FLASHBACK END_

_~:~_

"Never call my vessel a freak; the only abnormality here is you," the Phoenix Queen snarled, and she began to raise her hand when Chromelight stopped her.

"Please don't, my lady!"

The Phoenix Queen looked amused as she turned to Chromelight, giving her a nod of acquiescence.

She turned back.

"Never, ever insult a vessel of a goddess queen, got it?"

Nods from the men.

"Now I must leave. If I get wind of a war coming…" the Phoenix Queen gestured, and a fireball incinerated a car (thankfully it was empty). Only a scorch mark was left.

Faces went pale.

"Am I understood?"

Nods came from all around.

"Good. Now, tata!"

She burned.

Everyone fled.

~:~

Jayla felt someone pressing a damp cloth against her head.

"She's very weak. Carrying a goddess isn't without its repercussions." Sunny's voice.

"Will she awaken soon?" Optimus.

Somehow, Jayla managed to crack her eyes open.

She felt her body jolt when she saw her last resort to restore her powers.

Optimus held the crystal.

"No, I don't think so." Jayla realized her eyes were only cracked and let them flutter shut again.

"Good. I need you to take this crystal and hide it somewhere."

"What?!"

"This is a crystal, a dangerous crystal. If Jayla is carrying a goddess…"

She felt the same anger she had outside, but there was also hurt mixed in.

_Does he not trust me?_

"Optimus…I warn you, this will have consequences. Believe me," Sunny warned him. "What exactly is that crystal?"

_Something I need to restore my powers, sister._

She felt Sunny tense beside her.

"A…piece of Shadowdusk. When we went to see what the crystals were exactly, I had no idea Primus sent these crystals."

"Is it a power enhancement? Are you not trusting Jayla?"

"It's not like that. If Jayla places it into her spark, unforeseen consequences will arise."

_That's definitely true. Sister, please._

"Fine," Sunny said reluctantly.

Jayla allowed the darkness, which had been threatening to take over, take over.

~:~

Warmth cascaded over her. Then it started getting unbearable.

~:~

A cold voice echoed out of the heat.

_**Who are you?**_

She tried not to panic as she realized it was the Destroyer.

Unicron.

Wait, why did Unicron have a feminine voice? He was her uncle…right?

_Your niece. Shadowdusk…sir._

_**Great. My bro had kids. And why the frag does he tell you I'm a guy?!**_

_HUH?!_

_**WHAT? Can I not be a feminine person? And I've adapted. Sheesh. I do love destruction, but hey. It's amusing to know a species which has formed on a planet creates satisfactory chaos and destruction.**_

_Oh…so you're my aunt?_

_**YEP! :P**_

_Did you seriously just send me an emoticon in my mind? How old are you, 5?_

_**IDK. Older than…you. Oh, whatever. Your powers are amplified! And tell my bro to stop telling everyone I'm MALE! Gaea is FEMALE, right? SO GET IT RIGHT!**_

_Y-yes, Aunt Unicron…that sounds weird._

_**Oh! I know! Call me Alice!**_

_Aunt Alice…sounds better than Aunt Unicron._

_**:)**_

_Seriously, stop with the emoticons. It's kind of creepy._

_**:(**_

_You know what? I'm waking up now._

~:~

Jayla's eyes popped open and she sat up off her bed with wide eyes.

She shook Sunny awake.

"Huh, what do you want, Jayla?"

"You know that Unicron exists, right?"

"Yeah, he's our uncle."

"Well…"

"What is it, Jayla?"

"I'm not exactly sure Father got Unicron's sex right. You see, Unicron is actually…our aunt."

Sunny stared at Jayla, frozen in shock.

Jayla stared back.

"Are you all right?"

"Listen, you put the crystal in my spark, right?" Sunny nodded. "The 'unforeseen consequences' were actually me walking both Light and Dark paths. And being connected to Unicron. Father told me."

"But…Jayla…Dad's right. Unicron is male."

"WHY IS IT SO HARD TO BELIEVE THAT UNICRON ISN'T A MALE?!"

"I DON'T KNOW! MAYBE IT'S THE FACT THAT YOU'RE INSANE!"

"NOT TRUE! SHE TOLD ME TO CALL HER 'AUNT ALICE'!"

"You two can stop arguing about me, although it is nice to see two females fighting over me." Jayla and Sunny screamed.

They both saw a five year old girl that had tanned skin and purple eyes.

"Aunt Alice," Jayla squeaked.

"Unicron," Sunny breathed.

"Indeed, I am both. I am indeed female. My brother and I used to fight constantly, creating conflict. If we were both male, there would not be balance. He got sick of me fighting, so he created his Primes to cast me away! Now call me Aunt Alice!"

"Okay, Aunt Alice!" Sunny squeaked out.

Unicron vanished after giggling.

Both girls looked at each other with frazzled nerves.

~:~

CRASH!

The bots and humans were staring at Sunny and Jayla with a mix of shock and horror.

"UNICRON IS A FEMME?!"


	32. Chapter 32

_One more chapter and it's over, guys. Next chapter is another extract from Jayla's journal._

_~:~_

Jayla woke up a few days later to an alert beeping on her cell phone.

She opened the text.

**ALL NEST PERSONNELL, AUTOBOT, DEMIGOD, AND MORTAL ALIKE, REPORT TO HANGAR 25**

She hurried and put her fatigues on.

~:~

As soon as she entered with the flood, she stood with the majors and generals and commander.

She'd become a Major-General soon after Will, though she had gone on missions because she was just that weird.

She quickly stood next to Will, asking with her eyes if he knew anything about this, but he shook his head.

A man entered, obviously a CIA member or something.

"Alright, is everyone here?"

There was no response.

"Good. Gentlemen, ladies, NEST is being…dissolved. Permanently."

A drawn out silence as that sank in.

"WHAT?"

Shouts erupted in the hall.

The man raised his hands for silence, but it wasn't until Jayla stepped forward and shot a column of fire to the ceiling (joining thousands of other similar scorch marks) that they shut up.

"Thank you, Miss Witwicky," the man said as she stepped back in her line.

"You all will be given tickets so that you can go back to your families. As for the Autobots…you are hereby **exiled** from planet Earth."

The man left.

Jayla stood there, frozen in shock.

~:~

Jayla packed her suitcases in shock. Yeah, it'd been a while since Chicago.

BUT WHAT THE FRAG?

They were tossing aside their best soldiers.

The Autobots had given their sparkmates necklaces so they could talk to their sparkmates later on, and Optimus said that they were simply on the run.

She moved to a plane that was flying to New York and stowed her bags over her head.

Most of the demigods were headed to New York, going to Camp Half-Blood if they were Greek. The Romans were going to Camp Jupiter.

Jayla was going to New York to meet with Skye.

As the plane started up…she started crying.

~:~

The plane landed in New York safely.

She headed to the front and saw Hephaestus standing there.

And…to his eternal surprise, his daughter ran at him and hugged him, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Over and over again.

He, for once, found no problem with his organic daughter (probably because she wasn't exactly organic).

~:~

She knocked on her friend's mother's apartment door.

"Yes?" Sally Jackson-Blofis asked, looking at the young woman.

"Is Skye Jackson here? I'm her friend, Jayla Witwicky. Daughter of Hephaestus."

"Oh, not right now, she's at camp. But you can come in." Jayla smiled at Sally.

"Thank you, Ma'am." She noticed the male on the couch. "Is that a mortal?"

Sally laughed. "Her new stepfather. Paul, meet Skye's friend Jayla."

Jayla waved awkwardly.

"Hi, are you a demigod?"

Jayla nodded. "Yeah."

"Whose daughter?"

"Hephaestus."

"Ah."

~:~

Skye Jackson entered her mother's apartment, her face etched with pain and misery.

Then a mug of hot chocolate was given to her.

"Men suck."

Skye looked up and saw the same pain and misery echoed on her best friend's face.

She let the mug drop and shatter, and she threw herself at her friend, sobs wrenching out of her.

The two hugged, Jayla eventually breaking down as well.

And Paul and Sally discreetly moved to Paul and Sally's bedroom, leaving the sobbing women alone.

Because even Primus knows never to stop women from sobbing.

More than that…it was what these two women needed the most.

They relied on each other now.


	33. Chapter 33: Epilogue

_Hey it's Jayla._

_The war has begun._

_Optimus is keeping me safe, or trying to, at least. The Autobots have scattered._

_And as Primus said, the war has begun._

_I'm only hoping that when one side wins…Aunt Alice won't interfere._

_And I'm praying that when we find each other again…_

…_that it won't be too late to save the ones I love._

_I'll see y'all again._

_Signing off,_

_Jayla Leia Witwicky/Shadowdusk Pax_


End file.
